The Unknown Child
by FrozenFire13
Summary: Jodi has finally entered adulthood. She's just moved out and her whole life is ahead of her. That is, until Odin Allfather decides to pop into her dreams and transport her to Asgard, saying she is his child that has been missing for centuries. As she meets the gods of Asgard, she must deal with her trust issues, stereotypes, and a poem that may guide her future. Can she make it? OC
1. Prologue

**Hello! This is my first story so any reviews would be helpful. I am literally writing the chapter, doing a brief edit, and then publishing it and editing as I go so tell me what you think! Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters that Disney/Marvel own. Obviously.**

For as long as I can remember, I've dreamt of them. The people, always different except for a few, standing over me as I slept. Sometimes they would be silent and not say a word, while other times I could hear them asking questions. When I was younger, when the voices spoke they would ask, "Is that really her?" or "Are you sure?" As I got older, the questions changed. They became, "Isn't she a bit small?" and "Where has she been?" I could almost always see them, or at least imagined I could. Nearly all of them would be dressed in what looked to be armor, and would stare with expressions ranging from distrust to admiration.

They didn't visit every night, nor did they ever notice that I could see them. But I always remembered them in the morning, though I never told anyone about them. Not even when I got older and realized how unusual some of the dreams could be. Too realistic, some too much like the books I read.

One in particular I remember the most, probably because it terrified me to no end. I was 16 at the time, getting ready for the rest of my life. I remember waking up with that feeling that someone was watching me. I had become a master over the years at detecting it. I was surprised because it had been nearly a year since the last visitors, as I had come to call them.

I opened my eyes and I saw him standing over at the other side of my room. The first word that came into my head when I saw him was "power." He was dressed in green and black armor with longer black hair than most people would consider acceptable for a male. He had visited before, asking no questions, a long time ago. I never forgot each visitor. They were all so distinct from one another and so vivid, it was impossible to forget. I waited. The ones who came back never didn't speak.

For several long minutes he just stared at me. When he did speak, it was with one of the coldest voices I had ever heard. It gave me chills while I laid in bed and I swear to this day it could have cut me if he had wished it to do so.

"So you are the lost child," he began, "who Father believes is his long lost blood. Perhaps you are, perhaps you are not. Either way, you will be useful to me." He began to walk towards my bed, my body automatically tensing as he got closer and closer. There was something not friendly about him. "If you fight with passion, a warrior is easily manipulated. If you fight with your mind, we are the same." By now he was standing right next to me, kneeling at eye-level like he could tell I was awake. He had startlingly green eyes that I would've killed for. It took all my will power to keep breathing and keep breathing evenly as utter terror grasped my mind.

A huge smile crossed his face. "Oh I pray we are the same, for then I will understand you better than anyone and you shall be my greatest ally." His face fell, just for a moment, before he said, "And perhaps the loneliness shall abate, however slight."

Suddenly he stood up, the momentary weakness gone. "But you are not ready yet. I will be." I just kept staring at him as he walked away from me. As he reached the wall of my room, he turned back to me. My breath caught as he smiled knowingly and winked at me before disappearing.

I sat up and pinched myself to make sure I was awake. I burst out into tears from the intensity of the experience. I think that was the day I truly realized that visitors were more than visitors, or perhaps exactly that. They were to be feared. But the visits were so infrequent then and my life so busy, I had forgotten about the incident within a month. I chalked it off to stress with an overactive imagination. Perhaps if I hadn't, I would have been more prepared. Or maybe there was no way to be prepared.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey guys, this is a bit slow, but it picks up quickly after this, I promise!**

"Jodi! Will you wait up? Everyone else is carrying crap; you got nothing! Let us catch up!" my little sister Alice screamed up at me from the bottom of the stairs.

"Sorry A, I'm a little excited here!" I screamed back down.

She shook her head at me. "Just be useful and open the damn door for us so we can get your crap in here." I grinned and took out my key and unlocked the door to my apartment. Being able to say "my apartment" was the most amazing thing to me and I relished in it.

It was a small place, with only one bedroom, a kitchen, a master bathroom and a half bathroom, but it was heaven. It was freedom in a 900 square-foot package. I took a huge breath and sighed in satisfaction. I turned back to the door just as the first wave of my family began walking in with my furniture. Alice dropped a box full of my bathroom supplies and put her hands on her hips.

"Ya know, you could have helped me just a little bit," she said in that mothering tone that she got whenever she wanted to act annoyed but really wasn't.

"Look at these weakling arms, I can barely carry an empty box! Besides, I get all the hard work later when I have to unpack all this. Now THAT will be a nightmare," I over exaggerated. I was thin, but years of softball had toughened my muscles. Still, compared to the rest of my family I was pretty weak.

"About that, are you sure you don't want us to help you unpack? I mean, I know you got nearly your entire family helping you get the stuff in here, but it's gonna take you forever to get all this stuff out. You have quite the collection after all these years."

I just smiled at her and shook my head. That was my A, always wanting to help. Or practice her interior design skills. I prefer to think the former.

"I'm fine, you guys will just set everything up exactly how I don't want it and I'll end up doing it all myself anyway."

She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "Picky picky picky! Fine, make more work for yourself!" She stormed out of the apartment, pretending to be angry but I could see the gigantic grin on her face. My dad and grandpa walked in carrying a dark blue loveseat that was my 18th birthday present for exactly this day. They dropped it underneath the window and my dad stood up and put his hands on his back and bent backwards. "I'm getting too old for this," he groaned as he stretched.

"You think you're getting old? I'm 20 years older than you, if anyone shouldn't be lifting heavy things it's me," my grandpa said. He turned towards me and said, "You're lucky I love you kid."

I grinned and gave him a hug. I couldn't seem to stop smiling today. "I know I am."

"Are you sure you are ready to be out on your own? You're not even 19 yet, it's okay if you wait a little while…"

"Papa, stop," I cut him off. "I'm ready. I've been ready to move out for over a year. I'm fine."

He smiled at me before saying, "Yeah yeah yeah, I'm just worrying as usual."

I patted him on the shoulder before moving towards the door. "I know you are. You always do. Unlike Father, who could care less whether I'm home or in Chile," I yelled, saying the last part jokingly.

"Oh baby girl, you don't know how much I'll miss you," my dad said, moving towards me.

"No no no, you are not getting sentimental on me! Come help me grab the dresser, we'll give Papa a break," I said before my dad could give me a hug. My father didn't get emotional. Ever. So whenever he did I would change the topic and distract him.

"I knew that would get you moving again," he said with a laugh. I playfully shoved him and headed back down the stairs. I threw my long black hair into a messy ponytail and finally helped the rest of the family with the move.

It only took an hour with most of my family helping to get all my stuff into the apartment. Before I knew it I was hugging A and telling her goodbye.

"I'm gonna miss you Jedi," she said, her eyes watering as she used the nickname she had given me when she was 8. We had just finished watching Star Wars and she accidentally called me 'Jedi' instead of 'Jodi' for a week, and eventually it stuck. I laughed at her.

"What is with everyone getting all emotional? I am a mile away and I'm going to be back tomorrow to get all my stray items. It's not like I'm never going to visit or you guys can't come over whenever."

"Yeah but you aren't going to be right there anymore. It's weird for all of us."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Well, in case you are having Jodi-withdrawals, I'll be here." We both laughed and she finally decided to leave. I shut the door and immediately went to the radio and started blasting some music. What better way to start out living alone than to play music ridiculously loudly and set up the house?

I grabbed the first box and started rifling through, regretting the decision to just shove random things into boxes. I separated them into groups to go into their specific rooms. As I reached the bottom of the box, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. It looked like a tall form was standing in the entrance to the kitchen. I turned my head to see it better and it was gone.

I've always been slightly paranoid. During high school, I could have sworn I saw a kid with a knife (my friends said it was just a pack of silver pencils) and I refused to work with him for the rest of my high school life because I thought he would pull a knife on me and stab me. I'd been trying to get over it, so I did my best to push my paranoia down and ignore it.

I grabbed the bathroom supplies I had organized and went to drop them off. When I walked back into the hallway, I saw it again, that same tall dark humanoid shadow, only this time it was standing more into the front room, giving me a better view of it. What I thought was its head suddenly jerked up and appeared to look at me before disappearing into the kitchen.

My paranoia kicked into overdrive and I ran into the kitchen, not seeing anyone there. I checked all the doors and windows to make sure they were locked and there was no way for someone to get in. My mind ran through every single possibility that it could be, but I couldn't come up with a rational explanation for it. It moved its head independently, so it wasn't my shadow, and it disappeared into the kitchen so it couldn't have been someone walking past.

I did my best to continue unpacking, but I was on edge and it became harder for me to focus. After another half hour of pathetic attempts to organize I threw whatever I was unpacking back into the box, plugged my IPod into the radio and started blasting the playlist I specifically made for whenever I was stressed. Collapsing onto the couch, I rubbed my temples and tried to calm down.

The feeling came again. That feeling that I was being watched that I hadn't felt in over two years. Terror gripped me as I recalled the cold voice of the last visitor I had seen, and I didn't want to open my eyes. The feeling wasn't going away though, and I reluctantly decided that that was my only option.

The figure was standing no more than 6 inches in front of me, glowering down. The shadow was obviously muscular, but I couldn't see any other details. It was simply a massive form glaring down at me.

I screamed and jumped up, running to my bedroom. The shadow made no attempt to follow me as far as I could tell, but I didn't care. I locked myself into my room and backed away from the door. _Okay Jodi, you have a plan specifically for this sort of situation_, I reminded myself through the panicked haze. I ran over to my window and opened it. It was part of the reason my grandpa and father had approved of the apartment; there was a fire escape just outside in case I felt like I needed to get out, and I definitely needed to get out.

A thought popped into my head as I started climbing down the ladder. _You're running from a shadow. A _shadow_. You are acting crazy running like this_. It was absolutely ridiculous. I was completely overreacting. It was a stupid shadow, what did I have to be afraid of? And if there _was_ someone in the house, I could kick their butts! Dad had taught me how to defend myself. I could just imagine the look on my family's faces if I tried to tell them why I was back, I'd never hear the end of it!

Crawling back in, I looked around my room, confirming that there were no shadow people in my room. I opened my door tentatively, still slightly afraid that I might see the giant standing in my apartment. When I saw no one, I sighed in relief. "Just nervous about living on my own, mind's playing tricks on me," I reassured no one in particular. Laughing at myself, I turned my IPod back to a more upbeat playlist and began unpacking again.

The rest of the night was spent arranging my apartment to just my tastes. Several more times I saw the shadow figure out of the corner of my eye, but I made every attempt to ignore it, grabbing onto the deep blue necklace that Papa had given me when I was ten for comfort. When I had finally gotten all the boxes emptied, I looked the clock and realized it was about 3 hours passed the time I actually wanted to go to bed. I quickly got ready and hopped into bed, exhausted from the strenuous day.

Plans for the apartment ran through my head as I stared up at the blank ceiling. Maybe I would paint actual things on the walls instead of a solid color like Alice did. Perhaps a moon, or a star, always my signature. Meaningless thoughts slowly faded into nothing and I was surrounded by darkness. Just before my brain entirely shut off, though, it registered the fact that something was standing at the door to my room, waiting. I didn't have the will to open my eyes again, so instead I slid into quiet bliss.


	3. Chapter 2

It was beautiful. Lush green grass was surrounded by a ring of huge trees with flowers breaking the monotony in small clumps of bright colors. A light breeze went through the meadow and I sighed in satisfaction. It had the most peaceful feeling and I closed my eyes and threw my head back, wanting to bask in the warm sun that radiated down.

"I'm glad to see you enjoy the scene I created. You seem to be thoroughly relaxed," a voice said, breaking my reverie.

I shot up like a hawk and looked to where the voice was coming from. A few feet in front of me was an older man sitting on a bench that wasn't there previously. He had a white beard and was more muscular than any bodybuilder I had ever seen, but it fit him somehow, not making him look gross in anyway. He reminded me of Papa a little bit, not because he looked anything like him, but he had a grandfatherly feeling to him.

"This isn't a normal dream, is it?" I asked the man. Everything was too detailed, too real. It was like I was in an actual meadow, though I clearly remembered falling asleep in my bed.

The man chuckled. "No, it isn't. You are clever, but I already knew that." He turned to face me so I could see his face for the first time. It was aged with many battles and untold tribulations. The most distinctive feature was a golden eye patch that covered his right eye.

"Who are you?" I felt like an idiot asking it afterwards, mostly because I realized he was going to tell me either way.

The old man gestured me over. "Come here and sit next to me, and I will explain." Seeing no choice but to go over there, I obviously wasn't running the show after all, I wearily made my way over and sat down at the far end of the bench.

"Such a cautious child. I understand, though there is no need for it," the man said with a smile.

"Would ya mind explaining what is going on?" I asked impatiently. I was getting anxious being stuck here in this too-perfect place with a man I didn't know and absolutely no answers as to why I was here.

"Patience child, all will be explained. First I must ask you, what mythology do you know of?"

Caught off guard by the strange question, I automatically responded, "Greek, Roman, Egyptian, some Norse, a little bit of…"

"Stop there child. What of Norse mythology do you understand?" he cut me off. I glared at him for a moment; I didn't appreciate being interrupted, especially when he asked the question in the first place.

"Well, Thor is the god of Thunder, Sif the goddess of War, Loki the god of Mischief, um…" I said as I tried to remember what little I had researched on it and what I had seen in the movies that featured them. The man gestured me to say more. "Um… well Odin is the Allfather, kind of sees everything from Asgard. That's all I really remember."

The man smiled and nodded, then was silent for several moments, as if waiting for me. My eyes got wide as I started piecing together the puzzle. "No way," was all I could say.

This time he laughed heartily, obviously enjoying the shock on my face. "Oh yes, child. I am exactly who you think I am."

I immediately wiped the shock off my face and replaced it with disbelief. "I really am just dreaming. There is no possible way in the entire universe that I am speaking to Odin Allfather. Even if I was, why the hell would he be talking to me?"

Odin shook his head. "Please do not be stubborn Jodi, I would like this transition to go as smoothly as possible."

Fury boiled up inside me. I sprang up and faced him directly. "How the hell do you know my name! What transition? I'm sick of you jumping around explaining what the hell I'm doing here. Allfather or not, I want a fucking explanation or I will find a way to wake up and whatever the hell you want to talk about will have to wait!"

"You will not disrespect me in such a way!" Odin's voice boomed out over me as he stood up. He towered over me so much that I felt like I was cowering when I knew I was holding my ground and staring him straight in the eye. Despite standing tall, all my anger almost instantly died. "I am your father, you will pay me the respect that is owed! Especially now since I am returning you home."

Dead silence. The meadow around us had turned into a gray-ish landscape with dead grass and dying trees; the only reminder that this wasn't entirely real. We simply stared at each other for several moments, not knowing how to respond. After my mind finally caught up with the rest of me, I shut my jaw that was hanging wide open in shock.

"Father? You are not my father; my father is a professor at Caltech, not the ruler of Norse mythology! You are just a dream, nothing but my imagination…" I started.

"Stop!" Odin shouted again. He rubbed his eyes, rapidly going from terrifying god to tired man. "I had hoped you would be much more…cooperative, but it appears I greatly underestimated your stubbornness and fire. My best case scenario was that you would simply understand and I could return you to Asgard and explain everything there, though that is, as you Midgardians would say, 'blown out of the water.'" He sat down and I automatically sat down next to him. For some reason I felt bad for him, just sitting there looking like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. Which it technically did, but that's not the point.

"Many centuries ago, I bore another child," he began. "A young girl, just a few years after Thor was born. If the way children aged in Asgard was correctly proportioned to human years, this child would only be two months younger than Thor. The girl did not awaken for many days after her birth. We had numerous healers try but in vain.

"Finally, many weeks later, her eyes opened and all she did was look at us. A name in Asgard is only given when the child's eyes open for the first time, for that's the short moment we can see into the soul and name them justly. I remember her eyes being a deep green, the same as yours, that already seemed to know so much, and I understood why she slept for so long. That was the day she disappeared, and despite efforts from across the Nine Realms, the child could not be found." He said the last part with obvious pain and tears in his eyes, and the guilt that was already stabbing me in the stomach dug in deeper.

"What was my name?" I asked, not even realizing I had said 'my' instead of 'her'.

He ignored me and continued on. "I did not want to give up hope on finding her, so every daybreak I had Heimdall, Gatekeeper to the Bifrost, search for any sign of her, or her soul." He must've noticed my questioning look, because the next thing he said was, "There have been times in the past where a soul is detached from the body or a god passes on and their soul is reborn into a new body instead of moving on to Valhalla. Each soul has a unique signature that Heimdall, thank the Nine Realms, can see." I nodded, remembering some research I had done on him as well.

"Every day was met with disappointment, and eventually I became distracted with raising Thor and Loki, handfuls I assure you. Heimdall continued to report every day, until eventually it just became another 'no sign' that I heard every day about other missing gods or enemies.

"That is, until a little over 18 years ago. Heimdall, quite literally, sprinted into the throne room. I don't think I've ever seen that man run so quickly in my life," he said with a little chuckle. "'I have found her' was all he said. I nearly fell into the Odinsleep right then and there. She was a young girl, born to parents only a few years older than she is now, in Midgard. The first thing I wanted to do was to bring you back home and raise you here, but Frigga stopped me, saying that it wasn't time yet. Frigga has always had the power of prophecy, so I listened to her and waited. I still only have the barest of knowledge as to why we had to wait."

"Why did you, as far as you know, have to wait?" I interrupted.

He took the interruption in stride this time. "The only thing that Frigga told me was that it had to do with your soul. I believe that you needed to age to the person you would be in Asgard had you not disappeared, for reasons I know not. Perhaps it's something completely different, I do not know. So I simply had people watch over you, to make sure you survived without interfering with your life. And you have been so strong throughout it all. You are ready now. It's time for you to return home."

My mind was trying to rapidly process this information while still keeping an eye on Odin so he didn't zap me away without any warning.

"That's who the people were, standing over my bed all these years. Asking questions. Asgardians coming to see the missing child, weren't they?" Odin only nodded solemnly. "You have the wrong girl, sorry. I'm not your missing daughter. I'm not special in anyway. I'm the oldest of three kids who just moved out, that's all. I'm not a Norse god." I started pacing around the meadow, head in my hands, fire crackling everywhere I stepped. This was absolutely insanity, but it explained so much…

"I will show you that you are truly my child," Odin said, appearing right next to me in a second. Before I could protest, he put his hand on my shoulder and closed his eyes. His grip was gentle, but strong enough I couldn't run away.

I felt something begin to stir, something that had waited a long time to awaken. I looked down and saw my t-shirt be replaced with first a leather long-sleeved shirt, then on top of that chainmail, and finally a dark maroon breastplate that covered me from my shoulders to the bottom of my waist. What appeared to be fire was blazoned onto the center of my chest. _Wonderful placement_ was the first thing that popped in my mind, and I giggled slightly at the silliness of it.

My loose jeans transformed into a matching maroon, skin-tight, leather trouser covered by black boots that went halfway up my leg. Everything fit perfectly, which mildly surprised me. Something plopped onto my forehead and, in vain, I tried to look up at it. Odin seemed to be truly smiling for the first time since I'd met him and conjured a mirror. I looked in it and saw that my hair had been pulled into a perfect ponytail (something I had never achieved nor would ever achieve on my own) and a black crescent moon rested in the middle of my forehead. Upon closer inspection I saw that a thin silver chain that went around my head was connected to the moon, nearly invisible.

All I could do was stare. This was so far from anything I had ever worn, but it felt as natural as my jeans and tennis shoes had, like it belonged on me. For one brief moment I panicked as I thought about my necklace. My hand first shot to my neck and I let out a sigh of relief when it was still there, not lost in the transformation.

Odin stared at the small blue necklace that still rested around my neck. "Your garments reflect who you are. Strange though, I have never seen jewelry be worn in the field of battle. But, of course, I did not expect your garments to naturally be armor either. Most women, except for Sif, slip into a dress befitting of their status. You are unique amongst the Asgardians though; I shouldn't expect anything else." My curiosity over the name that Odin grew, but it was not my primary concern at the moment.

My mouth was trying to form words with no sound behind them. "I..this…wow. That was…unexpected," I finally said.

"I imagine. I apologize, Jodi, but I have spent more time than I should have explaining this to you. I know you must have a thousand more questions to ask but I can't delay any longer or Heimdall will not be able to open the Bifrost to your location. It's time to go."

"How do you take someone to another planet from a dream? They have no body!" I yelled as he grabbed my arms. He was damn right I had a thousand more questions, and I sure as hell didn't want to be taken without all of them answered, even with my belief in him slightly increased with the armor. Maybe he was crazy and I'd wake up in my bed. You couldn't just take someone in a dream and take them in real life.

"Speaking through dreams was the only form of communication between planets. Heimdall is transporting your body. The solar alignment today gives us just enough strength to adjust the Bifrost for a short period of time to a different location. You will be in your body when we reach Asgard. No more questions, it is time!" He shouted the last part and panic seized me.

I struggled against him but it was pointless. A bright light surrounded us and I screamed for Alice, for Papa, for my dad, for anyone that could help me. I felt like I had just been shot out of a cannon and was flying through the air with absolutely no control.

It stopped just as quickly as it started. All I saw was darkness for several moments until I realized I had my eyes closed. I peeled them open and saw that I was on my knees. As I began to stand and look around, Odin's voice resounded from behind me, and I finally heard the name that Odin had given me. "Asgardians, it is my greatest joy to announce the arrival of the long-missing child of Asgard. My child and the goddess of Dreams and Fire, Princess Niorun."


	4. Chapter 3

_Niorun? What the hell kind of name is Niorun?_ I asked myself when I heard Odin pronounce my full title. He was standing in front of a throne directly behind me with a barely concealed smile on his face. _At least I know what room I'm in now_. It was something to distract myself from the thousands of people staring at me, plus, who the _hell_ named their kid Niorun? I could only ponder over this question for a few moments before I was pulled back to the Asgardians staring at me. As I scanned my eyes over them, I realized I'd seen most of them over the years as my visitors. Most were dressed very formally, some in what I assume counted as casual here, and some were in armor like I still was apparently.

I had absolutely no idea how to respond to all these people staring at me. Was I suppose to give a speech? Crap, I'm not good with speeches, especially ones on the spot. I tensed and thought I should probably say something. It had been at least a minute since anyone had last spoke and I could hear whispers circling around the gigantic room.

"Um…hi," I said with a pathetic smile and a small wave of my hand. That must have done something because they all were suddenly on one knee and bowing their heads to me. I stared with wide eyes and shook my hands. "No no no! You don't have to kneel it's okay," I started to say.

"Let them," a vaguely familiar voice whispered in my ear. "It is a sign of respect that they are required to give to a newly named ásynja." _What the hell is an __ásynja?_

"Well I don't need their respect, I need to go home. If this isn't an extremely vivid dream of course," I muttered back. I heard a low chuckle but no more from whoever was standing next to me. Whoever they were they had to be royalty at least because they weren't kneeling and were standing only a few feet in front of the throne. I looked over to see who was so important and froze as I saw a familiar pair of green eyes.

Well, this day couldn't possibly get any worse.

I stared at the man who had terrified my dreams two years ago. He wasn't more than two inches away and smiling down at me. He was only a few inches taller, but he still seemed incredibly intimidating. It was offset by the fact that his smile was incredibly charming and it caught me off-guard. I didn't have any longer to examine him though, as Odin began to speak again.

"Rise Asgardians. I thank you for attending today. It is certainly one of the more momentous days in our history. Good night my friends." The crowd briefly clapped before exiting the throne room in organized lines that would have been any event planner's dream. "Niorun, I can only imagine that this has been an exhausting day for you. Loki, will you escort Princess Niorun to her chambers, as your brother seems to be distinctly missing from the ceremony."

"Of course Father. It would be my pleasure," the man next to me responded in a sickly sweet voice.

Shit. Of course Loki was the one visitor that had to scared the living daylights out of me, of course he had to be the only brother to show up, and of course he had to be the one to personally escort me to my room. God hated me, no, scratch that, I was a goddess apparently, so therefore I'd be on equal turf with God. Nope, some greater, omnipotent force hated me. Just my luck.

Loki grabbed my arm and gently tugged me down one of the corridors. I yanked my arm out of his grasp the second we were out of the throne room. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Did I offend you in some way?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. But I can walk without having to be guided thank you very much." He continued to stare at me perplexed for a few moments before looking ahead again.

It was mostly silent after that as we made our way through the maze of hallways. _There is no way I'm remembering how to get back_ I thought despondently. There were so many twists and turns that at times I was pretty sure that Loki was intentionally trying to confuse me.

"You will not have to remember how to get back to the throne room. Father will have a handmaiden for you at morning to help you through the castle," Loki said, as if responding to my thoughts. Or the confused expression on my face.

"I don't want a handmaiden for God's sake, I want to wake up from this nightmare," I replied harshly.

Loki shook his head. "What makes you believe this is a dream? And what makes it a nightmare instead of a dream?"

I lifted up my fingers as I said, "One, I was asleep when Odin came to me. Two, he said it wasn't an ordinary dream, not that it wasn't a dream, and three, what sane person wants to be kidnapped by a Norse god only to have to face one of their worst nightmares?"

"I am one of your worst nightmares?" he asked, genuine surprise on his face.

"Yeah, you are. In case you don't remember, you visited me two years ago, basically said you would manipulate me in anyway you could and that I would be your greatest ally. Quite frankly, I'd rather not be the God of Mishief's greatest ally."

"So you could see me, interesting…" Loki mused.

"Apparently I'm the Goddess of Dreams, so I would think you wouldn't be surprised."

"Most people would be. I, however, am not." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Arrogant prick," I muttered under my breath. Loki stopped in front of a door so quickly that I nearly crashed into him.

"Here is your chambers sister, I hope you find them accommodating," he said in a tort voice.

"I'm not your sister, not in any way, shape, or form. So don't call me that," I chided him.

He looked as if he was debating whether or not to retaliate, but instead he just turned and walked away. _Great, I just pissed off the Trickster, smart move Jodi, smart move._ I begrudgingly walked into my room and had to stifle a gasp. It was huge, at least twice the size of my apartment, with minimal furniture that just made it seem larger. There was a huge canopy bed that could hold at least five people. A wardrobe sat across from it with beautiful vines engraved on the edges. It was probably more valuable than my whole life.

There was a vanity sitting against the far wall that would most likely continue to gather dust during my tenure. Other than that, the room was empty. There was a door ajar diagonal from the entrance that looked to be a bathroom. The room's motif seemed to match my armor. I was getting sick and tired of red and black really quickly. "How the hell do I get this off anyway?" I questioned to no one in particular.

"You will it to," a voice from behind me said.

I yelped and jumped back, my hands already forming into fists out of instinct. A girl, about a foot shorter than me, with wide blue eyes and short blonde hair stared at me, much smaller than the people I had seen at the ceremony. A child. I put my hands down and relaxed

"Oh, hi. Who are you?"

The girl refused to meet my eyes. "I apologize Princess; I did not mean to frighten you. I had heard of your arrival and could not wait to finally meet you. I am your handmaiden."

I walked up to her and put what would hopefully be interpreted as a friendly hand on her shoulder and said, "It's okay, though there isn't anything particularly exciting about me. And I don't need a handmaiden; a friend would be appreciated though. Now, what do you mean by 'willing' it to come off?"

She gave me a tiny smile and finally met my gaze. "A friend, not something I was anticipating, but I can try if you wish it. My mother told me that if you think about your normal-wear clothing, the natural garment should disappear. I do not know if it is true, as I'm not old enough to have those. I pray it works for you."

I smiled and backed away from her. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do. "Alright, let's give it a shot." I closed my eyes and focused on my normal clothes that I was wearing before Odin had transformed them. The weight on my body significantly decreased and I opened my eyes. It wasn't my jeans and t-shirt, instead being a light red tunic and loose trousers, but it was better than the armor. My hair came out of the ponytail and fell to just below my shoulders. The moon circlet still rested on my head, and no matter how hard I tried to pull it, it refused to come off. Deciding to appreciate the success I did have, I laughed and hugged the girl still standing at my door.

"Thank you so much!" The girl tensed as I was hugging her and I let go. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a hugger. By the way, what is your name?" I asked her.

"'Tis fine, I am not used to a hug though. My name is Astrid, Princess Niorun. I must be off to bed now, I should not have come in the first place but it was a pleasure to meet you," she said as she began to walk away.

"Good night Astrid. And please, call me Jodi!" I called after her.

"If you wish, my lady," she said before scurrying away.

I could already tell it was going to take a while to crack her of the habit of "my lady" and "Princess". Hopefully I didn't have to; I was still holding on to the lingering hope that maybe this was just a horribly vivid dream that was incredibly detailed and taking forever. Who was I kidding? I was stuck on a planet that was millions of light years away from my own, I didn't know anyone, my nightmare lived here, and all my belongings were stuck back at home.

The hopelessness of the situation crashed onto me. Tears blurred my vision and I could barely see the door well enough to close it. I stumbled over to my bed there and curled up, waiting for sleep to take me home.

**And the drama begins :DD**


	5. Chapter 4

Sleep didn't come that night. Most of it was spent tossing and turning while tears stained my blanket and pillows. When I heard a knock on my door the next morning I yelled, "Go away!" and hid under the blankets.

"Milady, the king has requested your presence," I heard Astrid's muted voice say. I sat there and debated whether or not it was actually worth the trouble of getting up and figured that since Astrid had been the only person kind to me since I had arrived, I should at least let her in. I got up and had to use both hands to open the massive door. How I had closed it the night before was lost on me.

Astrid was standing patiently outside my door, her hands clasped in front of her. When she looked up at me, surprise covered her features before she could compose herself.

"I'm sorry to awaken you Prin- I mean Jodi," she stumbled out.

"I wasn't sleeping, it's fine." By the look on her face, I could tell she already knew that.

"Well, King Odin has requested your presence in the throne room, and I am to prepare you for the day. If we are to be there in a timely fashion, we must work quickly." She made her way into the room and started shuffling through the wardrobe. I ignored the implied "you look like shit" and walked over to her.

"Why do I have dresses in here?" I asked. "Can't I just 'will' my clothes to be whatever I want to wear?"

"I'm afraid that our clothing only goes so far. There is a resting state, and a natural state. Any other clothing must be provided. Men's natural state is almost always armor, which is acceptable in court. Unfortunately for women, it is not so simple. We must have multiple forms of dress for the multitude of occasions we might partake in. So please shower and we will get you ready for the day," she explained in almost a condescending tone. It took all my willpower not to respond _You're like, ten in human years, don't talk to me like that_, and then I realized she probably knew a hundred times more than I did and kept my mouth shut.

I headed over to the bathroom and pealed off the sticky resting clothes. I was mildly surprised that I could remove it in the first place, considering the circlet still refused to come off. I didn't remove my necklace though, fearing that it would disappear if it left my neck. I had no idea where to put the clothes so I dropped them on the floor and hopped into the shower.

Asgard continued to surprise me with such things as plumbing and showerheads. I reveled in how normal taking a shower was compared to the last day. Somehow the chain didn't get in the way of me washing my hair and was grateful for it. If I hadn't been able to wash my mass of thick black hair, I might have had a conniption. It was a while before I finally climbed out of the shower. My clothing was gone with no replacements to be found. Not wanting to embarrass Astrid by walking out there naked, I started searching through the drawers in the bathroom for any sign of covering.

"Are you finished milady?" I heard Astrid say.

"Yeah, I'm just looking for something to cover myself with," I shouted back.

I heard her mumble something like "Well if that's it," before she barged in.

"Oh my god!" I screamed and ducked down to the floor, managing to cover most of myself through the fetal position.

Astrid just chuckled and shook her head at me. "Princess Ni- Jodi. 'Tis nothing. We are suppose to ready you from this stage." She grabbed me by the arm and yanked me to my feet with strength that was completely unproportional to her size. From out of nowhere she produced underwear along with my clothes.

I yanked them from her hand and put them on before she could do it herself. She seemed to be fine with that; she was still a child after all. The moment I had my clothes back on, Astrid grabbed a corset. "Oh hell no, I'll wear a dress out of respect but there is no way you are getting me to wear that death device," I immediately protested.

"But mi-"

"Stop with the milady Astrid. And no buts, I'm not wearing it."

She glared at me for a few seconds before setting it done.

"Are all Midgardians this difficult?" she muttered.

"Nope, just me," I said with a grin. That seemed to cheer her up a bit and she didn't look like she wanted to throttle me nearly as much. Grabbing a dress she had laid out on the bed, she carried it above her head to keep it from dragging.

Astrid refused to let me look in the mirror as she shoved the dress onto me (which required me to bend down several times) and tied the back to suffocate me. After 10 minutes of the torture, she finally let me look in the mirror.

The dress was a dark blue (_Thank God it's not red_) that appeared to be made out of silk. I wondered if she had chosen it to match my necklace. It had a modest neckline with sleeves that flowed out past my wrists. It hugged at the waist and then gently flowed out to the floor from there. There was gold embroidery at the waist in the shape of vines that matched the embroidery at the end of the sleeves. I had to admit, the dress was absolutely gorgeous. "Why do I have to wear my resting clothes underneath?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Most don't, but since you are obviously a warrior, no matter how little training you have, you are required to wear your natural garments underneath in case of battle."

"Um, this might be a stupid question, but how am I suppose to wear my armor with a dress over it?"

She lifted up my arm and showed me a barely visible thread hanging out of the embroidery. "Pull this thread and the dress will unravel. All your dresses will have this capability."

"That's pretty cool," I said, wondering how pulling one thread would unravel an entire dress.

"I do not understand what it has to do with the temperature," Astrid commented.

"It's a human expression, like, well, um… Oh never mind, I'll explain it later. I need to be down in the throne room right?" I said.

Astrid, obviously still confused over the expression of "cool", said, "Yes, but milady's hair is not finished, I need to brush it."

"I can do that myself. You got the dress on me before I could protest but you really don't have to do my hair." I felt like I was four years old again with someone doing everything for me; I needed to do something myself.

Astrid had by now learned of my stubborn nature and reluctantly handed over the brush. "I will be waiting just outside when you are finished." I nodded in acknowledgment and she walked away.

My hair cooperated so well that after five minutes my hair was the perfect wave I had always dreamed about. Again the chain seemed to disappear then reappear when I was done, but the crescent moon always remained. Being a goddess did have its perks after all. I noticed a few more when I took a look at my complexion and noticed it was blemish free. My normally dull green eyes were now unnaturally bright and clashed with the dress, but I didn't care. I was never one to care about matching with my eyes.

I walked outside and Astrid smiled. "You look well now milady."

"How many times must I tell you, don't call me 'milady.' Just, Jodi," I said lightly.

"My apologies, mi- Jodi. Now, I'll show you to the throne room," she said and walked outside without bothering to check if I was following her.

The walk back was several times shorter than it was getting there, leading me to believe Loki really was just trying to confuse me, and before I knew it, I was back in the only familiar room in all of Asgard. I passed Astrid as I walked in and turned around to see she wasn't following. "Aren't you coming in?"

She shook her head. "No, servants are not allowed in the throne room unless given explicit permission by the Allfather."

I stared incredulously. "I'll change that as soon as I can, okay? For now, consider today a vacation day and go hang out."

Astrid looked like she had just been hit by a truck. "No, I couldn't possibly do that. Handmaidens do not get days off!"

I mimed zipping my lips shut. "I won't tell."

It took Astrid a few more seconds to fully comprehend what I was saying before she excitedly said, "Thank you!" and ran off. It was the first time I had seen the girl act like her guesstimated age.

I strode confidently into the throne room, my mood lifted by my new friend. I walked directly in front of the throne to where Odin was, curious as to what I had been called in for.

"Yes, Allfather?" I said, deciding that was the most appropriate form of address.

Odin smiled. "Please Daughter, call me Father. I know that the sudden change in scenery is most distressing for you. I thought that it would be wise if I sent your brothers to show you Asgard, so that you do not stay in your room the entire day and mope about." I barely managed to keep the surprise off my face; that was exactly my plan.

"As you wish Father," I said tersely. Then it dawned on me. My brothers. I bit back a groan as I watched Loki and another man who I could only presume was Thor stand up. Thor was massive compared to his brother, his biceps the size of tree trunks and his torso twice my width. He had golden blonde hair that fell down to about mid-neck, which seemed to be a trademark of the people here. His armor was more metal than leather, with a silver and red coloring. A hammer rested on his hip; the famous _Mjölnir_. If that wasn't intimidating enough, he was glaring down at me like I was the scum between his toes and all he wanted to do was get rid of me.

"Thor, Loki, treat Niorun with the utmost respect and ensure she feels welcomed into our family," Odin said, looking at each of his sons in turn.

"Of course Father, we are not animals," Loki said in that snake-like voice of his. "Come Thor, let us welcome Niorun properly." He grabbed his brother's arm and guided him down the stairs to where I was. Loki smiled down at me like he knew something I didn't and Thor refused to meet my gaze, choosing to glare off into space instead.

It was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 5

The walk through the castle was a silent one, which I was grateful for. Several times Loki tried to start a conversation, either with me or with Thor, and every time Thor would just ignore him and I would give him an icy glare. I spent the moments of silence trying to think of a way I could slip away from my "brothers" and head back to my room. If I could figure out how to get back to my room without getting hopelessly lost. So far we had traveled in a straight line, so it couldn't be too hard…

"Niorun, I recognize that you have distinctly ignored me this entire time, but I suggest looking up from whatever you are thinking about and see the garden. You might enjoy it," Loki said suddenly. Both him and Thor had stopped moving, so perhaps they did want me to see it. I looked up and gasped.

It looked like someone had collected every flower in the world, hundreds of other flowers I didn't know, and plopped them into one garden. There was no obvious pattern to their arrangement, but it all seemed connected in some way. The colors melded into each other and shifted constantly. Loki laughed from behind me. "Your reaction to this has made this venture entirely worth it. I can not wait to show you the rest of the city," he said as he walked up to me and put an arm around me. I tensed and ducked underneath it.

He gave me a strange look, one that I wouldn't have expected on the Trickster's face. "Have I truly terrified you so much that you can not speak to me nor let me touch you without shrinking away?" I slowly nodded.

"You were the one visitor who threatened me, the last Asgardian I saw before Odin, and I had shoved the memory of you into a dark crevice that I never wanted to see again. And then you return and all that fear I felt is shoveled back up and it's the forefront memory I have of you. Unless you drastically prove me wrong, nothing is changing," I said venomously.

"The only way to change your perception of me is if you let it change. Let me earn your trust," Loki practically begged. It only set me on edge more.

"Brother, her trust means nothing. She is not our family, why do you seek her approval? Let us finish this silly babysitting job and return to our normal lives," Thor chimed in for the first time that day. I could feel the rage boil up inside me. Babysitting job? Really?

"I am not a child! I am an adult who is fully capable of taking care of herself. I don't need you to babysit me, I didn't force you to come along, your father did! So if you find yourself so far above me, leave! I couldn't care less. I don't need your approval. Screw off," I screamed at him. How could this man who barely knew who I was judge me so much? _But isn't that exactly what you are doing to Loki? _a little voice inside my head said. My emotions were raging with each other; anger at Thor, confusion over my own hypocrisy, and it brought tears to my eyes. I stormed off onto the pathway through the gardens, not daring to show weakness.

As I walked away, I heard Loki and Thor briefly talk before footsteps sounded behind me. I couldn't make out anything, but I assumed they argued, because Loki appeared at my side and Thor was nowhere to be found.

"I apologize for my brother's atrocious behavior. He has not adjusted well to the idea that he has another sibling. Odin has many children, but Thor has grown with all of them, and all male. A warrior female as a sister does not sit well with him, especially since over the last few years the attention has shifted from him to you," Loki said in a calm voice.

"I have to admit, you are the better of the two right now," I conceded.

A huge smile crossed his face. "See! There are people worse than me," he said with a laugh.

I gave a small smile in return. "I still don't trust you. All of Norse mythology says not to, but I like you better."

He scoffed. "Humans have the barest of facts, and from those facts they spin a tale that becomes so outlandish not even Apollo could procure such stories. It is unwise to base your perceptions of us through those fairy tales."

"So you're telling me you aren't the God of Mischief and you aren't the child of Laufey the frost giant?" I said sarcastically.

He looked down at that and nodded. "The barest of facts, but facts. But if we continued with the mythology, I am meant to be tied in a cave with the intestines of my two pet wolves as my bonds right now," he said with equal sarcasm.

I laughed. "Well unless I'm delusional, you are standing before me, so I guess that's wrong."

"I do not believe you are delusional, and I don't believe I am delusional, so that myth must be wrong. You must take those legends with, what is the expression humans use, 'a grain of salt.'"

I chewed the thought over in my head as we continued to walk. It would take time, but I could learn to trust Loki, if he earned it of course.

"Alright Loki. I'll open myself up to the possibility of trusting you, but you have to earn it. And I'm not your sister, I'm not anyone's sibling here, so don't call me that, just Jodi, okay?" I held out my hand. He stared at it for a moment before shaking it firmly.

"Deal. Now, shall I show you the rest of Asgard?" Loki said, now using the hand he just shook to start propelling me forward.

"Sure, let's see what this planet's got to offer." And just like that the tension between us was broken, and we were off.

The rest of the day was spent with "ooh"s and "ah"s, all from me. This time I didn't mind taking the long and confusing route. The buildings were nothing like on Earth; all were impossibly high and a golden color that couldn't even be comprehended. Everywhere Asgardians walked around in suits, resting clothes, and some in armor. I was extremely grateful the technology of Earth was scarce; because I'm pretty sure Loki would have had a ball recording all my reactions. Loki also had to make snide and sarcastic comments everywhere, which I responded to with equal sarcasm. Somehow we were getting along, something I had never dreamed of.

As the two suns set (yes, there are two) Loki and I headed back towards the castle.

"I'm hungry, where is a good place to get some food?" I asked him, as the massive building grew nearer.

"That is actually where we are heading Lady Jodi, the banquet hall. It is Volstagg's favorite place in all the Nine Realms. But first, I want to show you the final surprise of the evening," he said with a mischievous grin on his face. My first reaction was _Oh God, this can't be good_, but I pushed it down, remembering the promise. I followed him until he stopped me just at the edge of a grove.

"Here, I think this will be enjoyable. You have heard of the Bifrost, correct?" he asked.

"Of course, the bridge that connects all of the realms, how I got here. Though I thought it was a wormhole, considering there is no bridge that shoots up into the sky on Earth," I said with an "isn't it obvious?" tone.

He smirked and covered my eyes. "There is in Asgard," he whispered in my ear before guiding me the last few steps and letting me see again.

There are no words to describe the Bifrost. It was perfectly clear, but not clear at the same time. Colors ran through it from the front entrance of the castle all the way to a large dome at the very end. I took my first step onto the bridge and watched the bridge respond. Colors pooled around my feet in a swirl and I smiled from ear to ear. If you couldn't tell by now, I loved colors. I wasn't an artist like Alice, but she always said I had the eye of one.

"I'm glad you enjoy it Princess," a voice I didn't recognize said. I looked up and saw a man dressed in all gold with a sword held closely in front of him.

"Merry meet Heimdall," Loki said with a nod of his head.

So this was the famous Heimdall who had shot my body up to Asgard. The thought briefly flitted through my head to punch him before I realized the stupidity of the action.

Heimdall gave Loki an icy glare, but considering he had the same expression on his face the entire time, I couldn't be sure of it. "Merry meet Loki. Be wary with the path you tread now. Princess, I would suggest being wiser in your choice of company," he said with a fatherly tone in his voice.

If looks could kill, Heimdall would be tiny atoms of nothingness from the look Loki was giving him. I questioned my decision once again, after all, Heimdall was the all-seeing god, he knew an incredible amount more than I did.

"I didn't really have a choice today, but I will remember that," I said carefully. The bridge was long forgotten in-between the tension. I couldn't avoid confrontations today.

"Come Jodi, we do not want Volstagg to consume all the food before we can arrive," Loki said with a forced smile. He put his hand on the small of my back and we walked away. I turned back and gave Heimdall an apologetic smile. He just continued to watch us until we had passed through the front doors of the castle. The thought entered my head before I could stop it: _Have I let my nightmare achieve his dreams?_


	7. Chapter 6

There is only one word to describe the banquet hall: food. Food up the wazoo. Beautiful food stacked up to the ceiling. Okay, I might be exaggerating slightly, but there was more food in one place than I had ever seen in my life. Most of the things I recognized; turkey, grapes, steaks, but there were some things that held absolutely no recognition for me, including something that appeared to be meat but was a bright purple color.

About 20 gods and goddesses sat down the sides of the long rectangular table. Loki guided me to the end and sat down next to Thor with a stormy expression on his face. He hadn't said a word as we headed here, still fuming from the encounter with Heimdall. I sat down across from them in-between a woman with black hair (the first time I'd seen the color on a woman here) and a man with short sandy blonde hair quietly eating his food.

"Brother, what troubles you? Tell me our gentle _sister_," he said the last word with venom, "did not insult you?" Oh this guy was really trying to get me to punch him in the face.

Loki just waved him off. "'Twas not her. Do not try to create problems that are not there."

"Isn't that your specialty Loki?" the woman next to me said, trying to hide a smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. Loki shot her a death glare before beginning to pick at his food without looking at any of us. I looked down as an unwanted smile and a small giggle manifested themselves. "It is alright to laugh Princess, the only one who will take any offence is our dear Loki here," the girl said with a pat on my back. I just smiled at her and started to pile food onto my plate.

"Quiet one, aren't you?" she said as I started stuffing my face with the delicious food. The food is what I imagined Heaven would taste like, or I guess in this case, Valhalla.

I swallowed the food I had in my mouth right then and shook my head. "Nope, socially awkward and I'm ridiculously hungry. I'm Jodi, what's your name?" I explained and introduced myself.

"I'm Lady Sif," she said after laughing.

My eyes got wide and a huge smile crossed my face. "The only other female warrior in Asgard that I know of! It's an honor to meet you," I said excitedly.

"The honor is all mine Princess Jodi." I didn't bother to tell her to not call me Princess. There were other times for that and frankly I didn't want to correct another person today. I went back to filling my stomach when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned and saw the man with the sandy blonde hair looking at me. He had soft brown eyes that made me think of a doe. His cheekbones were well defined on his slightly-rounded face. I realized in some corner of my head that I didn't recognize him; he had never visited me on Midgard. "Excuse me Princess, but I must say you have quite the appetite for a lady," he said. His voice sounded like velvet and it took me a few moments to catch up and actually hear what he was saying. I had to restrain myself from saying_ Are you calling me fat? _I'd always wanted to say that, even though I really didn't mean it.

"My family used to call me the 'Bottomless Pit'," I said with a sad smile as I thought about my family on Earth for the first time that day.

The man seemed to detect the sudden change in my mood, but tried to keep it light. "I can see why." He smiled at me. "Oh, I'm being terribly rude. I am Ollerus," he said, holding out his hand.

I shook his hand while saying, "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Jodi."

He laughed. "We all know who you are." I blushed slightly. He noticed and immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to…"

"It's fine. I just need to get used to this whole 'fame' thing," I interrupted.

"I hope you adjust quickly," Ollerus reassured.

"I hope she doesn't and she will leave us all in peace!" Thor said. He obviously had had a few ales and was slurring his words. I ignored him; it wasn't worth it to start something with a drunk man.

Loki finally looked up from his un-eaten food and put a hand on his shoulder. "Brother don't start anything…"

Thor shoved his brother's hand off of him violently. "No! This pest that sits before us is just another enemy that has infiltrated our sacred court like the Jotun weeks past. She is nothing but a liar and a whore who has put our father under a spell to bring her here!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

I knew he was drunk, I knew I shouldn't react to his words, but there are three things you never call me: a flake, a liar, and a whore, and Thor had managed to cross off two of the three things. I rapidly stood up and looked him straight in the eye. "You, me, outside, right now. We're settling this."

"What, do you plan on fighting me little girl?" he said mockingly.

"That's exactly what I plan to do," I said calmly before moving towards the door. Sif shot up and walked next to me.

"You know not what you do. Thor is the god of thunder and war, you have no chance of besting him in a duel!" she whispered furiously in my ear.

"I know exactly what I'm doing. I wouldn't count me out just yet," I said with a sadistic smile. I looked back to make sure Thor was following me and saw he was only a few steps behind. I laughed humorlessly; I knew he couldn't resist a challenge, especially from a girl. Loki was close behind him, looking panicked and obviously trying to find a way to stop the whole situation. The room was dead quiet as I walked out, then I heard dozens of feet get up and start making their way out of the room.

I pulled the thread that Astrid had showed me earlier and the dress fell away into several pieces just as she said it would, and my armor was already forming.

"This will be rich! I will enjoy putting the girl playing to be a warrior in her place," Thor boasted as he pulled Mjölnir out of its holster. Sif looked as if she wanted to jump into the fight now, though she was held back by several other people around her. I let all the rage rise to the surface and I suddenly felt metal against my arms and legs. I looked inside my sleeve and saw a small dagger tucked away in its own holster. I smiled. I was confident I could have done it without weapons, but this just made life so much easier.

Loki made one more last-ditch effort to stop the fight and jumped in-between us. "Please Thor, Jodi, you do not need to do this. There are other ways to solve conflict!"

"Back away Loki, I will show you how to properly solve a conflict," Thor said with a cocky grin. Thor began to swing Mjölnir and Loki leaped back into the ring that surrounded us.

I ducked and rolled as he threw it and continued to crawl away until I saw the hammer return to his hand. He continued trying to fight at a distance by throwing the hammer and I continued to dodge it. I almost felt bad fighting the drunk who couldn't think of new strategies. "What is it, too scared to fight me short-range?" I taunted. He yelled and charged me, lightning beginning to spark around his hammer. He swung just as he reached me. I slid one of the two knives up my sleeves, ducked, and sliced his thigh. He screamed in pain; I must've gotten him pretty good and smiled.

"Who's 'playing to be a warrior' now?" I mocked. This only fueled his drunken rage and he started to run towards me. A few steps before he reached me he leapt up into the air, Mjölnir raised above his head with lightning crackling overhead. I rolled my eyes. Before he reached me, I leapt to the side and kept my feet in the air as long as possible as he brought the hammer down and lightning shot around him. I took advantage of his recovery time, elongated by his drunkenness, and leapt onto his back. I put my arm underneath his chin and locked it in by holding it with my other arm and pushing his head. He stood up and started trying to shake me off. He clawed at me as he started to make choking sounds, but he couldn't find any nook to grab. I hooked my legs around him to keep from swinging so much and Thor fell back to the floor.

"Say I'm a warrior, or I keep going until you black out," I whispered in his ear.

"Ne..ver," he choked out. I tightened my grip.

"Say it, or pass out in front of your future subjects."

He didn't respond for a few seconds and with one final jerk he finally nodded. "Fine, you are a true warrior, now release me!" he sputtered. I immediately released my hold on him and stepped away, dusting my hands off.

"Now was that so hard?" I said sweetly.

As he struggled to his feet, he said, "You are a formidable opponent, but you are still not family, and never will be."

"I'm perfectly fine with that. I don't want to be related to such an arrogant ass anyway," I said, suddenly extremely tired. The fight had taken more out of me than I thought it had. My armor changed back to my resting state and I nearly collapsed. This wasn't normal, I shouldn't be reacting this badly from a fight. Someone was next to me all of a sudden and holding me up. I shook them off. "I don't need help to stand," I snapped at them. I glanced over and saw it was Ollerus, concern obvious in his eyes. _Why is he worried about me?_ _He barely knows me_.

"You need to return to your room, I'll escort you." He wasn't offering. He grabbed my elbow and we headed towards the entrance. My mind began to get foggy.

"While your heart is in the right place Ollerus, I'm afraid that must wait," the Gatekeeper said, appearing out of nowhere. "I must tell Odin of this encounter, and I am sure he will want to hear both sides of the story when he knows of this."

"Heimdall, look at her! She can barely stand on her own. Can you not wait till morning to tell the Allfather? Let her be well rested and Thor sober so they may both tell their tales as accurately as possible," Ollerus said reasonably. Through the haze my mind was becoming, I thought to help with his claim and swayed again. Loki was at my other side in an instant, grabbing my other arm and holding me up.

Heimdall looked at the suspiciously before waving his hand. "I can delay a single night. Make sure Thor also makes it to his room without destroying anything," he said before walking back down the Bifrost.

"Come on Jodi, let's go," I heard Loki say in my ear. With him and Ollerus on either side of me, no longer holding on to me but ready to catch me, we walked into the castle. Just as the doors were about to shut, I heard Thor say, "She may have bested me in a duel, but she would never last in war." This wasn't normal! I didn't react like that, and I wanted to show him that I could still kick his butt even incapacitated. Loki gripped my hand tightly.

"Ignore him, it's not worth it. Not tonight," he whispered. I gave him a dirty look but kept walking.

I stumbled a few times on the way to my room, the haze over my mind rapidly encasing everything. It was so fast that I barely registered I should be panicking before I slid into a sort of foggy bliss. My vision became gray around the edges and I couldn't focus on anything. Ollerus said something worryingly to Loki and they held onto me the rest of the way to my room. I barely made it to my bed and collapsed in it. I mumbled a "Thank you" to them before curling up and closing my eyes. The last thing I remember seeing are Loki and Ollerus' worried faces kneeling at my bedside, and I sighed contently before I was completely gone.


	8. Chapter 7

_He was screaming. The fire had consumed everything, including his family. He sobbed loudly as I watched with fear. FORWARD. The girl was locked in a passionate embrace, ecstasy screamed out from her and I darted my eyes away. FORWARD. The boy battled a dragon; making cuts everywhere, eventually slicing its neck open. The boy screamed victoriously and raised his sword above his head. I smiled. So innocent. FORWARD_.

Hundreds and thousands of images race through my head. It was a rapid river of people, scenarios, and emotions. God, the emotions! That was the worst part; being swirled around in a tide pool of happiness, sadness, anger, joy. The only emotion that I could discern as my own was confusion. What the hell was happening and why? It was impossible to fight though, so after the first 1,000 I gave in and let the images take me where they wanted.

_A teenager screamed at her parents, saying all the things she would never say to their faces. I knew the feeling. FORWARD. A woman patted her stomach, dreaming of a baby that would never live. Tears streamed down my face. FORWARD_.

It continued on for what seem like hours, until something changed. For a brief moment, everything was black, and then sunlight poured through my eyelids. My cheeks were wet and I was sobbing softly. As soon as I had control of myself, I stopped and peeled my eyes open.

The first thing I saw was three faces several inches from my face. I panicked before I remembered where I was and who was who. Astrid, Loki, and Odin were all staring at me.

"Um… Personal space?" I said. Astrid jumped back and started squealing. Loki breathed a sigh of relief, and Odin smiled. They all gave me a few feet of space as I sat up. I rubbed my eyes and commented, "I'm guessing I was out for a little while judging by your guys' reactions."

Odin nodded while Astrid leaped onto me and gave me a hug. "You were out for almost an entire day! It's nightfall!" she screamed. Luckily her head was buried into my shirt so it didn't kill my ears. My eyes bulged out of my head. An entire day? Even my worst days as a teenager I didn't sleep that long.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, looking between Loki and Odin for an explanation. Odin was the first one to speak.

"The best explanation we can give you is that you simply had to sleep. Similar to the Odinsleep, but also very different from it," Odin said simply. I stared at him incredulously.

"Really? That's all you're gonna give me? I had to sleep? That's not how someone reacts when they need to sleep! They get tired, they yawn, and they go to bed! They don't get encompassed by a fog that numbs them from everything and have the weirdest dreams of all time! No, that is not a reasonable explanation," I yelled. I wasn't stupid; there was no way I was going to believe that crappy story.

"It is all we can give you. Now, I have business to attend to. We need to have a serious discussion about what happened last night as soon as you are feeling ready," Odin said before walking out of the room. Astrid looked up at me and gave me a sympathetic smile and I ran my fingers through her hair a few times. I had a terrible feeling that Thor was going to be there for this "discussion."

Loki was standing a few feet from the bed, not looking at me. "You are dismissed," he said with a wave of his hand. Astrid immediately got up and started to leave the room.

"Hey! You can't just make her leave like that! Astrid, you can stay," I said. Why was everyone acting so weird?

"It's fine miss. I will just be outside if you need me," she said before scurrying out. As soon as the door shut behind her Loki walked up and wrapped me in a bear hug. Shocked, I sat there, not sure how to react. This was not behavior I expected from him, but he had been surprising me since I got here. I nearly suffocated before Loki finally released me and sat on the bed couple inches from me. I wondered if him and Astrid had had some unspoken agreement by the way he acted.

"Please avoid doing that in the future. You had many people worried," he said, trying to keep his voice calm without much success.

"Was the Trickster worried about me?" I said teasingly. He gave a pathetic attempt at a smile.

"Like I said, many people were." There were a few moments of silence where he stared off into the distance and I tried to interpret what was going on in his head. We stayed like that until Loki looked me in the eyes. Conflict was written all over his face. "Jodi, there is something else. Something that Odin doesn't know and something that I pray Heimdall did not notice."

My curiosity was piqued at that. I knew that something wasn't right about the whole situation. I leaned forward. "What?"

Loki sighed. I knew that sigh, it was the I-want-to-tell-you-but-I-don't-know-how-to-phrase-it sigh. I'd used it many times throughout my life. "During your bout with Thor, did you know how to fight beforehand?" he asked as if he was testing waters that he had been told were filled with piranhas.

"Yeah, my dad taught me to fight when I started getting older and the reality of me moving out hit home," I said frankly. I had been able to mention my family without bringing tears to my eyes, a small achievement.

"That explains part of it…" he murmured. I nearly had to cover my mouth to keep from asking more questions and let him continue at his own pace. "You see," he started, "The reflexes you displayed out there, your ability to dodge Mjölnir, how you stayed up in the air long enough not to be electrocuted. Even when Thor is not up to par, no warrior can face him without escaping unharmed, much less win. Particularly one with little to no training compared to him. Not without some assistance."

"So are you saying someone helped me?" I asked. "Cause if someone did, I'm gonna go slap them. That was my battle to win, and no one…"

"Jodi, no other person helped you. You helped yourself. Unconsciously as far as I can tell."

What?

"That makes no sense Loki."

"You had natural ability, but your Midgardian skills should have only gotten you out alive, not unscathed. I personally believe, and this is me, that perhaps your confidence combined with your rage tapped into a power and enhanced your natural abilities, to the point where they could match Thor's." He said it as if he couldn't believe it, but had to.

"What proof do you have?" There was no way I had used magic to beat Thor. I was a warrior, not a sorceress, wasn't I?

Loki leaned forward uncomfortably close. I backed up on instinct as he reached out and grabbed the crescent moon pendant that hadn't left my head since I had arrived. He stared at it curiously. "Do you know what this is?" he asked me.

"No, not really. It just refuses to get off my head," I said, suddenly irritated at the stupid thing.

"I'm not positive as to what its purpose is, but it reacted to your emotions. When you verbally slaughtered Thor it turned a dull red, not far from your armor. A second time it changed, when you challenged and were battling him, only that time it turned a fiery red."

"Great, I have a mood ring attached to my head," I complained.

"I don't understand…"

"Oh never mind," I snapped before getting up and walking to the other side of the room.

Loki followed. "I know not what this 'mood ring' you speak of is, but I do believe it can show how or what powers you may tap into. Red for fire perhaps? And because it was your first time using them, with the adrenaline, when you no longer had need of it your body needed severe rest. Using magic is draining, and the odds were not stacked in your favor with no rest the night previous," he explained from a few feet behind me. I could feel him get closer and closer until he was right behind me. I strained to keep my breathing in check. He was in my bubble, and freaking me out at that. "You have the ability to use magic on will. We are the two sorcerers in the family. I can help you train, if you wish," he said excitedly.

The words echoed in my mind "_If you fight with passion, a warrior is easily manipulated. If you fight with your mind, then we are the same. I pray we are the same, for then I will understand you better than anyone and you shall be my greatest ally._" I shivered at the thought; if he was right, now I was both. Did that make me an easier target?

I was spared of having to answer when I heard the door slam into the wall. I immediately took that opportunity to put distance between us and looked over.

"I'm sorry Master Loki and Lady Jodi, but he refused to listen and…" Astrid stuttered behind an Ollerus storming in.

"I said specifically to be told when she awoke, and yet I had to find out by young Astrid here standing outside and not attached to her maiden's side as she had been the past day. Then she would not even allow me in!" he screeched as he made his way across the room to face me.

I could tell Loki was about to shout at him, but I beat him to the punch. "You don't even know me! Why would anyone even think to tell you? And why are you acting so concerned anyway, it's not like we've spoken more than a few words to each other. Hell, why does anyone really care what the hell happens to me? I've been here for two and a half days, one and a half if you don't count the day I was out. None of you have the right to care about me. Not yet. I swear to God it feels like everyone is just being nice to me because I'm the fucking princess!" I yelled.

I had no idea where it came from but it was a massive relief to say. Somewhere I felt a twinge of guilt because only a few had dared speak to me at all and most had decided to be kind. But in my eyes they were all acting like my best friends when I barely knew their names. I was the outsider, and no amount of kindness could change that in a day.

Astrid's eyes began to tear up. The twinge of guilt was mostly felt for her; she was only a child and probably could become easily attached to anyone older than her, especially when she was treated as a servant by most. I had no idea what to do though. I'd never been good with dealing with crying, so I froze.

There was no sound in the room. I looked between Ollerus and Loki, the former's eyes bulging out of his head and the latter already piecing together the perfect apology. Before either could speak, I did the first thing that came to my mind.

I ran.

**Not sure how I feel about this chapter to be honest. It's necessary, I just don't like it xD**


	9. Chapter 8

**A bit of a short chapter. That's the price you pay for two chapters in one day. And a decent stopping point. I hope you find it worthwhile.**

I had no idea where I was running; I just knew I had to get away. I don't know how, but somehow I found my way to the front door and sprinted down the Bifrost. I ran all the way to the very end and saw the giant dome fast approaching. I saw Heimdall standing in front and a thought popped in my head.

I barely stopped myself before I could plow into him. "Take me back home," I demanded.

"I can not Princess. King Odin forbid me to let you return to Midgard until he has said otherwise," he said in that irritatingly calm voice.

"Damnit Heimdall, let me go! I have to go home, I don't belong here. I'm not Odin's lost child; I'm a fucking human who has family that is probably worried sick about her! They have no idea where the hell I am and I just want to see them again," I sobbed. Distraction after distraction had kept that thought at bay and it overflowed in a tidal wave of sadness and anger.

"Child, your family does not know that you are missing," he said matter-of-factly.

"What?" How could my family not know that I was missing?

"When you were transported home, Odin erased any trace of your Midgardian existence, including the memory of you, so that your family did not suffer from your disappearance. He believed it was the least he could do to ease your worry."

It took several long moments for it to sink in. I didn't exist. According to everyone and everything on Earth I no longer existed. Great. Just fucking great. I walked to the edge of the Bifrost and looked down. There was no supports, something I hadn't noticed the first time I was there. I sat down on the edge.

"Do you intend to jump Princess?" Heimdall asked, appearing next to me.

I shook my head and laughed without mirth. "No, I would never do that. I just…it's so much to process. I don't have a home anymore. Even if I had never seen it again at least I knew it was there. Now, there's nowhere." The tears flowed freely. I did my best to keep the gross crying sounds to a minimal. I noticed a glint on my chest and saw my necklace from Papa. The last thing that signified I had lived. I held it in between my fingers and thought about him. What was life like now that he didn't know me? What did he worry about without me? I forced myself to stop after it only brought more tears to my eyes. I let the necklace fall back to its place on my chest and looked out over the edge of the world.

"You have a home here," Heimdall said.

"This house is not a home," I said, quoting Three Days Grace. I wished I had my IPod at that moment; I felt as if listening to my "stress" playlist would help greatly. At the very least it would distract me. Distractions were my best friend right then.

"It is a home if you let it be one. Princess, no one expects you to adjust quickly. That would be greatly unfair to you. But that does not mean you must shut everyone out who are simply trying to help you," Heimdall said wisely.

"Yeah, but do they have to try so hard? I mean look at Ollerus. I've said maybe 20 words to him and he gets all pissed that no one told him I was awake. That's just creepy to me," I explained.

"Ollerus has his own reasons for his actions, reasons that I believe he should tell you himself. Many important things ride on your shoulders Jodi, things that you are not ready to burden. This frightens many, including Thor. Some wish to use you and are preparing now for when you are ready. You must be wary Princess. Learn to trust, but be careful of who you choose to put that trust in. Now, I believe the people you ran from are nearly here. Good luck Princess."

I turned to question him, but he was already back to his place in front of the dome. I was more confused than ever. What important things? Why did Ollerus have reason to care what happened to me? Still, as confused as I was, there was a strange sort of comfort in those words. There was an explanation to everyone's behavior at least. The only trouble was trying to figure out what that explanation was.

As I got up to meet the small group of people running down the bridge, I noticed something out of place. It was a small purple rectangle with headphones attached to it. My IPod. I shot a look at Heimdall. I could have been imagining things, but I could swear I saw the man's stone-face twitch slightly for a split second into a grin. My face broke into a smile and I tucked the beloved object into my pocket and turned towards the group of three.

"I told you she would be here!" Loki spouted out at Ollerus.

"She seemed like Volstagg who eats when in distress, how was I to know she'd end up here and not the banquet hall?" he shot back.

"You did not spend a day with her getting to know her as I have."

"Hello, standing right here!" I shouted over them. They finally acknowledged me and for the second time today I felt a tiny body slam into me.

"Please tell me those words were not heartfelt," Astrid mumbled into my tunic.

"Not towards you kiddo," I said and ruffled her hair. She smiled up at me.

"Good," she said before detaching from me. Ollerus was the next to step up.

"I apologize Princess Jodi, I did not mean to frighten you as I did. There is something I must explain to you when we have a bit more," he glanced at Astrid and Loki, "Privacy." I nodded.

"I know. And the second we have a bit of privacy, I expect answers," I said pointedly.

"I understand." Not sure what to do, he took a few steps back and awkwardly looked down. Loki didn't move from where he was.

"That was an interesting experience. Do you feel better now?" he asked with a neutral voice. He didn't sound hurt or angry, but I couldn't help but think there was a twinge of something behind those words.

"Much. Now, I need to talk to Odin. I have a whole lot of questions to ask him, including what was up with the dreams, something that no one has explained." I started walking back up to the palace and heard the three of them follow me.

"Princess, it is not obvious?" Astrid asked. I shook my head.

"No…"

Loki laughed. "Niorun, you are the Goddess of Dreams, 'tis your job. You experience the dreams of creatures everywhere and assist when needed."

"You mean that's going to happen every night?" I asked in shock.

"Every night," Loki said with a pat on my back.

"Fuck," I muttered. Everyone, except for Astrid, who probably didn't understand the Midgardian slang yet, laughed and for the first time I felt comfortable around everyone. I felt like I was at home.


	10. Chapter 9

**A bit of a rushed chapter, but hey, I finally get something out in the open!**

We arrived at the throne room, Astrid not pausing at the doorway this time. Everyone straightened up as we saw Odin sitting on his throne. Ollerus, Loki, and Astrid all bowed. _Crap, I'm actually supposed to do that?_ I gave an awkward bow and made a mental note to apologize for not doing so the first time I was there.

Odin gave a look to his son standing next to him and Thor begrudgingly made his way over to us and stood next to Loki. I noticed Sif standing a few feet off from everybody else, her posture perfect, eyes trained on Thor.

"At least I know you two can stand within five feet of each other without starting a war," Odin said, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "In order to be just, I must hear both sides of the story. Thor, you may start."

He was silent, trying to figure out what he was going to say. _Is he seriously going to try and lie his way out of this?_ Thor may have been a favored son of Odin's, but he was no Silvertongue like the man who stood next to me. If he were, he probably would have never pissed me off. Thor glanced over to where Sif was. She was glaring at him with an expression on her face that said, "Speak the truth or I will kill you."

"I… insulted the princess. She took offence, as she should have, and challenged me to a duel. I stupidly accepted. She defeated me and I continued to insult her behind her back until Lady Sif put me in my place. It was entirely my fault." He looked at his feet the entire time, his face a bright red. Sif smirked and I stared at him in shock. What had she done to the man? I had to learn how to do it!

Odin turned to me. "Do you have a different version of events Niorun?" I shook my head no, still not capable of speech after the drastic change in Thor's attitude. He asked Ollerus and Sif to confirm the story and they both did. He sighed and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I must say, I did not expect this to happen at all, but since it did, punishment must be handed down. Niorun, you are still new to the court so I will give lenience this time, but do not expect me to be so kind the next time you challenge someone because of their petty statements. Thor, however, you should know respect by now, particularly to your sister. A day in the kitchens. You are dismissed." Thor opened his mouth to protest and shut it when Sif shot another glare at him. He walked out, his hands hanging limply at his side, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"You have caused quite a stir around here in a such a short amount of time. I had hoped for little conflict between your siblings, though I knew it was a stretch. It appears that I need to keep a closer eye on you." I restrained a chuckle. "I have set a schedule for you that shall leave you preoccupied for most of the day."

I took on the classic bitch position by crossing my arms and throwing one hip out. I looked at him like he was crazy. "You're giving me a schedule? You have got to be kidding me."

"I left you alone for one day and you managed to choke the future king into submission and nearly kill yourself in the process. It seems I have to!" I almost continued to protest when I felt someone squeeze my hand. Ollerus was avoiding my eyes. I tried to claim my hand back but he wasn't budging. I glared at him before turning back to Odin.

"Fine," I mumbled.

"Good. You will start out your mornings working with Sif on your basic battle techniques. At mid-day you will head to the archery range and work with Ollerus on improving your skills with a bow. I know of your interest in the field, so I thought it appropriate. When night falls, you will dine and then head straight to your room and spend the remainder of your night there. Astrid shall accompany you everywhere you go and ensure that you follow these rules. Perhaps you can learn to control your dream-walking. I would have you work with Frigga on your manners but I fear they are as refined as they can possibly get." I felt as if I should be insulted, but I couldn't be. He was right. I said my please and thank you's and that was about it.

"So I get to spend the entire night bored out of my mind? That's a useful and productive use of my time," I whined.

"Then find a useful and productive use of your time! I swear child you are more stubborn than Thor," Odin exclaimed.

Loki stepped forward. "Father, if I may, I believe there is something else that would be helpful to the kingdom that I could assist her with." I turned to him. He wasn't going to tell Odin about the circlet, was he?

"What is it Loki?" the Allfather asked, exasperated.

"I believe it is easier to show than tell," he said. As he finished the last word he spun on his heel and an icicle shoot from his hands. Straight at me.

I managed to scream "Shit!" before throwing my hands up in the air and shutting my eyes. I waited for the stabbing pain of the icicle to bite into me. But it never did. I slowly opened my eyes to see a pile of water at my feet. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and lowered my hands. Loki was smiling like an idiot. I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the side.

"One, what the hell! Two, I thought you didn't want Odin to know!" I whisper-yelled at him.

"I didn't until Odin required a pair of eyes on you at all times. I was going to help you in secret but that isn't possible anymore. I had full faith that you could stop me. And you passed wonderfully." He said the last part with a huge grin. I slapped him as hard as I could, effectively wiping the smile off his face.

"Don't do that again without warning me!" I whisper-yelled and stormed to my spot. Loki was holding the cheek I had slapped as if I had thrown acid on it.

"That certainly changes things…" Odin muttered. "The crescent moon that you wear on your forehead is a well known symbol for magic, though I had not thought so in light of your recent actions. Fine, Loki, you shall train Niorun in the art of sorcery at night, since you are the only sorcerer I trust. But avoid shooting things at your sister while training her."

Loki smiled painfully. "May we take our leave now Father?" he asked cordially.

"Yes, some of you need rest. Some of you need practice," he said. We all bowed slightly and made our way out of the throne room. Sif almost instantly split off into another hallway, shouting, "I expect you in the training room bright and early tomorrow!" with a wink. Loki was the next to leave, giving me an awkward one-arm hug before taking his leave. Ollerus and Astrid continued to walk at either side of me until we got to my room. I opened the door and they both followed me in. Ollerus glanced at Astrid pointedly and I sighed.

"Astrid, go get some rest. You haven't slept for 24 hours like I have. I'd like a private word with Ollerus anyway," I said with a smile. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red slightly. "What? It's not like I'm going to sleep with him or anything." This time Ollerus's eyes were bulging out of his head and Astrid giggled maniacally.

"Alright miss, good night Lady Jodi. I will see you in the morning," she said with a giant grin on her face. She walked out of the room and Ollerus turned to me.

"I did not know that Midgardians were so…frank," he said tentatively.

"I just say the things that others are afraid to," I smiled. "Onto business! Why have you been essentially stalking to me?"

"I have not been stalking you!"

"Then what do you call watching me as I slept after barely speaking three sentences to me?"

"Though my actions seem less than cordial, it is not intended to be that way. Would you like the lengthy version or the short version as to explain them?"

"Short version please. Despite my protests I think that Astrid won't believe me if we stay in here long." He chuckled.

"I think not." Silence engulfed the room as he thought of what he was going to say next. He was certainly strange, going from kind and caring to prideful and pushy and back again, all in a matter of minutes. On Midgard, he probably would have been diagnosed with some mental disorder. His type probably would have had me running for the hills (which I kind of did) but there was a reason for his actions. Something that he hadn't told me. Damn it all, I liked the mystery he brought. It intrigued me.

He paced back and forth and I sat down on the bed. I patted the space next to me and he gave a small smile as he took the seat. He stared off into space before mumbling something like, "I hope I do not anger the Norns," and turned to face me.

"The simplest way to explain is through a prophecy that has been with us since Borr lived, a prophecy that some waited thousands of years to see achieved. It is told to every Asgardian when they are a child. I do not know if Odin wanted you to know. Most likely not, at least not yet. It would be much to burden with the information already given to you. But I'd rather you stop looking at me like I am some elf gone mad, so may Odin forgive me for what I am about to tell you."

He took a deep breath and began in a low and quiet voice.

"_The missing blood, taken without will, returned when her heart accepts rage,_

_Her humanity not allowing the kill, A world she never belonged to_

_Making her wiser for the age._

_The hourglass begins to fall, the moment her spark is seen._

_Time ticks away down the hall as the world prepares its queen._

_Winter and the bow unite in one, to help the dreamer learn._

_To hide the flame from a false sun, giving her love in return._

_The end approaches nearer. No word must be wasted._

_Winter's death should he fail, Dreamer's choice forever changed._

_Two paths lay open; Eternal war or the loss of all,_

_The path only she can choose to decide Fate."_

He finished and looked down at his lap, not wanting to meet my gaze.

"So you're the god of winter and archery?" He nodded. "And you're suppose to protect me from this false sun or you die?" Again he nodded. "And we're actually suppose to…um…" I couldn't even say the word now. He refused to look me in the eye, but I saw the confirmation on his face.

The glances at me, the questions when I was young, Thor's and Loki's different attitudes towards me, everything suddenly made sense. But what the hell did those last few lines mean? I decided Fate? Eternal war or the loss of all? I had gotten one more answer and opened up a thousand more questions.

"That's a lot to take in," I said after a while. Ollerus's fate depended on him protecting me. At least I knew why he was so freaked out about me being okay.

"I know. Do you wish to be alone?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I need to think about this on my own. I'll see you tomorrow at the archery range, alright?"

"Yes. Good night Princess," he said. He got up and kissed my forehead before leaving the room, not looking back once. _Was that really necessary?_ I thought. I decided to let it go; he was just doing what he thought he was required to do.

I lay down on my bed, not intending on sleep but to more of faze out. I took out my old IPod and jammed the headphones into my ears. I put it on shuffle and the first thing that came up was Get Out Alive by Three Days Grace. I smirked. I was already holding on for my life, though it looked like I was going to have to grip tighter.


	11. Chapter 10

The next morning Astrid walked in without knocking this time. "Did you sleep well milady?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Didn't feel tired. I mostly just listened to music and came up with random scenarios in my head."

She wasn't facing me, but I could hear the smile on her face as she said, "This is not a random enough scenario for you?" I laughed.

"There are better ones. Don't grab me a dress!" I yelled as she reached for the wardrobe. She jumped back in surprise.

"Why not?"

"Do you really think it would be advantageous for me to train in a dress all day?" She thought about it for a moment and shook her head.

"I guess not. What do you wish to wear then?"

"I'll be fine in this." I hopped up and headed to the bathroom to quickly run a brush through my hair. A panicked expression covered Astrid's face.

"Jodi, it is not appropriate…"

"No! No 'you are a princess and a women' crap. It's impractical and I'm not doing it. Anyways I gotta get down to the training room and meet Sif. You can show me the way there if you want." She glared at me for a few moments before walking out the door.

"Follow me," I heard her say before completely leaving the room. I sprinted after her, my hair only half-brushed. I must've really pissed her off. She stormed several feet in front of me, her hands clasped in front of her. I ran to stand next to her.

"Look, Astrid, I'm sorry if I angered you. I simply don't see the practicality in any of it," I tried to explain.

She smiled. "You are beginning to sound like an Asgardian." I covered my mouth. Three days and already I was sounding like them? She burst out into laughter. "I can not be mad at you for long; you amuse me too much. You are just very from the expectations of the court, which is straining." I rolled my eyes.

"Stupid prophecy." Astrid's eyes widened.

"We're here!" she squeaked. "I'll be here when you done." She scurried away down the hall, leaving me confused beyond belief.

I walked into the training room and saw three targets set up half a football field away and Sif throwing a knife that hit the middle target dead center. "Mad skills Sif. Mad skills," I said, purposely using a thoroughly Earth saying.

"Thank you Princess," she said with a nod.

"Jodi. Just Jodi." I'd eventually break everyone out of the habit of "Princess."

She nodded. "You do not seem like the one for titles. I am of the same mold. Simply call me Sif, no lady required." I laughed and walked over to her.

"Alright Sif. So how do we get started?"

"First, what's your level of training?" I explained what my father taught me how softball had helped. She sighed. "Better than nothing. You are not allowed to use magic to assist you in any way. Fight me."

"You're kidding right? I didn't even use magic consciously last time!" I was not so sure about my chances this time around, especially since I knew most of the reason I won was because he was drunk and I had enhanced myself.

"I do not 'kid' Jodi. No magic. Make the first move or I shall," she said, her expression dead serious. I shook my head and put on my armor, forcing the daggers to appear. I made sure that the two daggers were there in case I needed them and started circling her. "Are you going to make your move or not?" I was leaning towards not. I never learned how to make the first move, only how to defend from it and where to go from there. I jumped up and sent a quick punch to her face. She grabbed it easily and twisted my arm, effectively flipping me. I somehow managed to land on my feet, and Sif immediately let go.

"I specifically said no magic! Your circlet has a red tint to it. Block it out." She was right. I could feel the fog very slightly at the edge of my mind. I closed my eyes and focused in on it, mentally building a wall around it. Suddenly I felt like something was missing and I smiled. That was it. I silently prayed I could take it down later. "Good. Now, let's begin again."

I was pummeled to the ground with my arm twisted behind me in a matter of seconds, biting back tears and refusing to give in.

"You fight at the level of a Midgardian. You must remember that this is Asgard, you must fight like one," Sif said calmly. She released me and offered me a hand to stand up.

"You're not going to take my hand and throw my across the room and then say 'trust no one,' are you?" I said warily.

She chuckled and shook her head. "No. That was my original plan, but I decided you are too paranoid as it is dealing with people who are meant to be friends." I began to protest when she cut me off. "Do not take me for a fool. The only person you look at without a degree of suspicion is your handmaiden. Part of being a warrior is learning how to trust your fellow warriors." She sat down next to me. "So that is what we are going to work on today. Building trust. Tell me about your life on Midgard."

I was extremely apprehensive, starting out with super simple things. It was only after several threats and an embarrassing secret from Sif (forever sealed for her sake) that I let myself open up. For several hours we sat there and chatted about absolutely nothing and everything. I told her about Papa and Alice, my pets that I had left behind, stupid little things that no one in the world would care about. She told me about growing up as the only female warrior goddess, and how many had thought that she was actually meant to be a Valkyrie. I made a note to yell at Loki about cutting her hair and turning it from its gold color to black. It was nice to talk with someone about something normal. Or the closest to normal as possible.

As mid-day came around, I felt a little sad that I'd have to go meet Ollerus, I gave her a hug and left, running straight into Astrid. "You look happier than usual," she commented as she led me to the archery range.

"You make it sound like I'm always unhappy," I said, acting offended.

"You always seem to be. You just no longer look as if everything here is so…alien." We walked outside and I saw the range instantly.

"How many doors are there here? And this building must be huge to have a freaking garden, the Bifrost, and an archery range the size of a high school."

"And it's back…" Astrid mumbled. "I will see you soon milady."

I rolled my eyes at her and walked down, looking around for Ollerus. He was nowhere to be found. "I got stood up on the first date. That must be a new record for me," I muttered to myself.

"What is this date you speak of?" Ollerus said from behind me.

I screamed and jumped. "Don't do that!" I yelled and punched his chest.

"So the brave Princess Niorun, who within two days had challenged the greatest warrior in all of the Nine Realms, beat him, and then proceeded to slap her brother the sorcerer, can be frightened. That is shocking," he said with an even tone but a stupid smirk on his face.

"I will not hesitate to slap you either unless you wipe that smile off of your face right now," I threatened. He immediately smoothed out his face, though the edge of his mouth kept twitching up. "Good boy. Now what are we doing today instructor?" I said sweetly.

"Today, you are making your own bow."

"Well, that's certainly faster than Sif took it," I mumbled.

"Took what?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Jealous type much? Chill dude, I don't play for that team." I waved him off. I should've expected his next question.

"What team do you speak of?"

"Earth phrase. Never mind. Trying to explain Earth phrases to you guys is like trying to explain poetry to fish. Wait, no, that's explaining freedom to angels," I mused, remembering one of my favorite shows on Earth.

He shook his head. "You confuse me. Let us go and choose an appropriate wood for you. Now yew is generally harder and tougher to bend, though I don't think that would suit you as your first." I stifled a giggle. Unfortunately Ollerus noticed it. "What is amusing?"

"Oh nothing, just something you said," I avoided.

"Are we going to get anything done today?" he asked.

"Probably not. I'll get distracted at some point. Don't get me wrong, making a bow sounds fun, but I'd rather get to know the guy who is supposedly an integral part of my life. If that's okay with you of course."

I could see the argument on his face. _Serve the king or serve the princess?_ I made the decision for him by grabbing his hand and dragging him to the forest that surrounded the range. He didn't even bother to fight. I started climbing a tree with low branches, leaving Ollerus on the ground.

"Are you sure that's wise Princess?"

"It's not Princess, it's Jodi, and yes, I'm perfectly sure!" I shouted down. "Come on, get up here!"

He hesitated before catching up to me in a matter of seconds. "Did you do this often on Midgard?"

"Usually by myself. Or on the roof of my house."

"You should not put yourself into danger so willingly."

"It's not danger if you know what you're doing." He chuckled. We sat there for a while in comfortable silence, appreciating the view before us.

"I did not mean to be so forward with my intentions earlier," he said, breaking the silence. "I fear I have little experience with courtship, much less courting the woman my life depends upon. I had a slight fantasy that you would know of the prophecy and simply accept my advances and…"

I put a finger on his lips. "Stop rambling Ollerus. I understand. Sort of. Just stop trying to move so fast. If you really want to win a girl's heart, which I suggest shouldn't be me, go slow. Ask her out, flowers, chocolate, romantic surprises. That sort of stuff. Chicks totally lap that up."

A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "I think I can do that. Will you accompany me on a date?" he asked hopefully.

I shoved him playfully. "I said not me stupid!"

"Why not you? People thousands of years before us predicted our union. They can not be wrong," he said. I couldn't tell if he was being dead serious or if there was a little joke behind his words.

"Obvious reasons that it shouldn't be me: I'm rude, brash, easily angered, violent, ridiculously stubborn, and have difficulty with confrontation. Secondly, the poem simply says 'giving her love in return,' not what type of love. Maybe it's just meant to be friendly love," I explained, realizing how much sense it made. It didn't have to be romantic love. "Besides, I'm sure there are thousands of girls who are just ready to be wooed by you."

He laughed at me. "There are plenty of positives to you also. Opinionated, strong-willed, highly independent. Perhaps you are right, but I don't think I will stop trying for you. You are too interesting compared to the women here," he said with a smile. I simply smiled and looked back out to the horizon. The suns were beginning to set, but I didn't feel like leaving. I felt something on my hand and looked down to see Ollerus's hand on mine, him not looking at me again. I should have moved my hand to discourage him, but I decided to let him have that small victory. I went back to watching the horizon and saw Ollerus smile softly out of the corner of my eye.

It was a long time before we headed back down, and I was almost a hundred percent sure that I had long missed both dinner and my training with Loki. It didn't matter, not right then. The day had been too good for me to let it end before I was ready. Ollerus walked me back to my room, not saying a word when we arrived. He took my hand and kissed the top of it gently, lingering a second longer than necessary before letting it go and walking away. I was glad that he had turned away as I could feel my cheeks match the color that my circlet supposedly turned.

I laid down on my bed and was asleep almost instantly, a smile lingering on my face.

**Yay! Some one-on-one time with Ollerus and Sif! This was really difficult to write cause I had to keep it relatively the same length as the other chapter's which mean I had to make some really difficult choices on what to put in and what not to put in, so maybe I'll put in cut scenes in a sort of "deleted scenes" chapter. Who knows. Tell me if you think that's a good idea!**


	12. Chapter 11

_Fairies flitted about a tiny girl making a crown of flowers. It wouldn't be too long before she knew they weren't real. FORWARD. A man got down on one knee and asked her to marry him; so nervous for the next day he was practicing in his dreams. FORWARD. A girl screamed and ran into an alleyway, straight into a dead end. "Ah come on, don't be difficult," a man said a few feet away from her. He began to unbuckle his pants. I knew what was coming and screamed, "No!" Everything stopped. I didn't rush forward to the next dream. The girl still looked on terrified, not hearing me. "Kick him where it hurts!" I yelled at her, "Come on, get away!" Something changed on her face and suddenly she looked determined. She kicked him and ran. I breathed a sigh of relief as the mood of the dream changed from fear to confidence._

I jerked awake. Running to the window, I looked out and saw that the first sun was just beginning to peak out from behind the horizon. I couldn't have been asleep for that long; the river of images did not last nearly as long. Was it because of the last dream? It certainly seemed different, like I had actually changed the ending of the dream. Made it better. It was a bit optimistic, but it made me feel better about the whole "Goddess of Dreams" thing.

I pulled out my IPod and blasted some music as I got ready for the day. I opened the wardrobe and found about 30 different dresses, but nothing that even resembled my resting clothes. So apparently I was wearing the same clothes every single day. I had no idea how Astrid had them rapidly cleaned, so I just stripped down and threw them in the wardrobe so they were out of the way and hopped in the shower.

I got out and remembered that there was no such thing as towels in Asgard. Swearing under my breath, I opened the bathroom door and looked around, making sure there was no one there. I sprinted to the wardrobe and opened it. My clothes that I had thrown in there were perfectly clean and hanging up neatly. I silently thanked whoever came up with this and got dressed quickly. As I pulled my shirt on I heard someone say, "What is this awful noise coming from this tiny device?"

I jumped around and glared at Loki. "What the hell is with everyone appearing out of nowhere and trying to scare the shit out of me?" I stomped over to him and picked the IPod out of his hands, which was playing This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars. "And this is a good song. You just have no taste in music."

"I know what music is, this is simply Earthlings screaming."

I rolled my eyes. "Well you don't have to listen to it." I hit the pause button. "So what are you doing here anyway? It's too freaking early for any normal human being to function."

"Luckily, I'm not human, much less normal, so I am perfectly capable of functioning this early," he said with a smirk.

"You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" I asked, mildly annoyed with him now.

"I simply wanted to make sure you were well, as you did not return to your room for our lesson last night," he said with an obvious sting to his words.

"Don't get your panties up in a bunch, I lost track of time training with Ollerus and by the time I got back you were gone. I promise to be on time from now on. Feel better?" I said condescendingly.

"Many do not believe training was the only thing you were doing," he said suggestively. The barrier I had built yesterday almost instantly disintegrated, putting my power at the edge of my fingertips.

"How dare you imply that I slept with him?" I screeched. "Only a few days ago I beat Thor for calling me a whore and then you go and say this kind of crap? If you really think that I would do that, I'll have to beat you too!" He immediately threw his hands up in surrender.

"I did not say that I believed it. Now I can tell the court that their rumors are unfounded."

"Rumors that you started?"

He grinned mischievously. "Perhaps, perhaps not."

"I knew it was a terrible idea to trust you," I snapped. He walked over and threw an arm around my shoulders. It took all my willpower not to run from it.

"Come sister, can you not take a joke? I would never do that, as I know what would happen if I did. I only wanted some revenge for you abandoning your lesson. Relax," he said calmly. I glared at him.

"That wasn't a very kind joke," I muttered.

"It wasn't kind to abandon me." I couldn't be sure if I heard a tiny bit of hurt in his voice or not.

"I won't do it again. So don't do that to me again, okay?" I said resignedly. I was a bit in the wrong, and he only amplified that, making me feel bad.

He patted my shoulder and released me. "Agreed. I will see you tonight then?"

"Yep. Bye!" He walked out the door just as Astrid walked in.

"Good morning Master Loki," she said quickly. He ignored her and walked off. She looked at me questioningly.

"I'll explain later. Time to get to class."

**xx**

The rest of the day was brutal. There was no more talking with Sif; it was complete and total technique. I hit the floor so many times I was pretty sure that my face was slightly flattened by it. It was made blatantly obvious that the only reason I had beat Thor was because I had majorly amplified my skills. She attempted to show me how to throw my knives, but even with the targets moved so they were only 15 feet in front of me, I miserably missed every single time until the final ten minutes when I managed to hit the very edges of the target.

Ollerus was all business. I was a little put out by how far he was from the puppy of yesterday, instead droning on and on about how to properly carve the wood, which end to bend, blah blah blah. He barely even looked at me. My thought the entire time was _I'm going to kill Loki, I'm going to kill him_. I knew that if those rumors hadn't flown around he wouldn't have been acting like my 11th grade math teacher Mr. Haight. And he was horrid.

We ended precisely on time and he stayed behind, letting me walk to dinner on my own. Astrid didn't even bother trying to talk to me, seeing the grumpy look on my face and knowing I'd only snap at her. I picked at my food the entire time at dinner, sitting at the very end with Thor across from me, refusing to look me in the eye, and some random person named Fandral sitting next to me, who kept making lame puns the entire time that I didn't understand.

Eventually I could put it off no longer and headed to my room to meet Loki. I made sure the barrier I had resurrected before heading to my training with Sif was up. Hopefully if I showed ineptitude in magic I could cancel the classes with Loki and spend my nights talking with Astrid or listening to music.

I walked in and saw him lying on my bed, my earbuds draped over his ears like an earpiece that agents wear in movies. His eyes were closed and he was tapping his fingers to a beat I couldn't hear. He looked over and jumped up rapidly, my headphones dragging my IPod across the bed. He ripped them off his ears and threw them back on the bed. "I was..um..well…" he stuttered out.

"What's wrong, I thought you were Silvertongue?" I grinned like a mad man. This was rich.

"I was merely exploring your musical tastes to better understand what it is that motivates or excites you. That can be useful when learning sorcery," he said smoothly this time.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. You were totally listening to my music, and enjoying it too, ya little hypocrite!" I teased. My anger at him was still there, but now it seemed minor so I put it on the backburner.

"Believe what you want," he said flippantly, but I could tell he was embarrassed I had caught him. "I brought this as a source for you to begin your training," he said, dropping a gigantic leather book onto the book.

"How did you carry that? Hell, where did you put it!" I asked. It had literally appeared out of nowhere.

"If you read it, you'll discover how," he said with annoyance in his tone.

"So are you actually going to teach me anything or are you just going to make me read this book?" There was no way in all of humanity that I was ever going to finish that book. I didn't hate books, but the thing was the size of my torso and twice as thick.

"I will teach you. There is bookwork. Though I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that there will also be hands-on experience." He finished speaking and I was being thrown across the room, straight into the wall. Although I was already turning so I didn't hit the wall head-on, there was no way my reaction time was fast enough. I could feel the barrier shatter and then suddenly I was pushing off the wall with my feet, landing on the balls of my feet.

I stood there for a moment to let the fog fade away before yelling, "I told you not to do that again!"

"My last bit of revenge. And it broke that little wall you had set up so we can begin with little error," he said, smiling. I gave him a dirty look. "Please, that was easy to detect. You don't enjoy having to put it up anyway; I don't see why you are angered by me." Was I really that obvious?

"No, though you don't particularly hide your emotions well. I am good at reading people. Example, I can tell you love the rush that using your power brings, giving you strength you didn't know you had," he said as if making a speech meant to terrify. I stared at him. Was he right? I did enjoy actually being able to win a fight. But I wanted to do it fair and square!

"I'll teach you other ways to use it, not just to simply enhance your combat skills. We'll start with something simply: a ball of energy." And just like that he had flipped back to the man who simply wanted to help his sister adjust to the world. Of all the rapid personality switches I'd seen his by far was the most dramatic. He conjured two chairs and had us sit across from each other.

"Jodi, close your eyes." I gave him a suspicious look. "I will not do any bodily harm to you. Just close your eyes," he said exasperated. I did as I was told, muscles tensed in case he was lying. I felt him grab my hands and turn them palm up, forming a cup. "Imagine a hollow ball made of glass, just above your hands."

I did so, picturing a perfectly smooth ball that was completely see-through floating a few inches above my hands.

"Now, I want you to think of one of your Earthling songs, one that has some sort of emotional attachment to it." I silently went through my songs, trying to figure out what the best one. One song popped into my head, and I realized it was perfect.

"Got it," I said.

"Good. Play that song in your mind, and think of all the memories associated with." I could nearly hear the song, Grim Goodbye, by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It was my ultimate stress song, the one that was always on replay when things got tougher than ever. I had played it many times since getting my IPod back from Earth. I thought of all the fights I'd had with my family right before putting it on, the friendships that had dissolved, my anger at being stuck in Asgard with no one knowing I was even gone.

My face contorted into a mask of pain. "Take all those emotions you are feeling and imagine them as fire being transferred into the glass ball." I barely even registered his voice. I imagined wrapping everything up in a net of fire and shoving it into the ball, happy to be rid of them. I could hear Loki smiling when he said, "Open your eyes."

I opened them and saw exactly what I had pictured. A glass ball with a massive fire raging inside of it. It vaguely reminded me of a Rememberall from Harry Potter.

"And I did that?" I asked, not quite believing it.

"All you," Loki said, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe it either. "It takes most several tries to even get a flicker of color in there. I am impressed."

I grinned, glancing up at him. "I'd suggest dismembering it before you waste all of your energy. You're still too new to sorcery to maintain even this for long." I imagined it dissipating. "Please be careful though, I don't want an acc-" He didn't get to finish his sentence. Instead of the ball fading away, it exploded in front of us. Loki and I were thrown from our chairs, landing on the floor with a huge thud.

A minute later the door opened. "Milady! Master Loki! Are you okay?" I barely even heard Astrid as Loki and me were on the ground laughing like maniacs. "Milady?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine, just a little accident," I said between gasps. Finally after several minutes we were able to recover enough to stand up.

"I think that's enough for today," Loki said, still laughing at random times and a grin from ear to ear plastering his face. "Lady Jodi, I must say that _that_ was the most I have laughed in a very long time. Thank you. Good night." He bowed before leaving the room. I could hear him chuckling as he walked down the hall.

"Are you sure you are fine Jodi?" Astrid asked one more time.

"Yeah I'm fine. And thank you for calling me Jodi," I said, glad to hear my Midgardian name once again.

**xx**

Trillions of miles away, on a little planet called Earth, a girl woke up from a nightmare. One that she had had ever since what she could only refer to as the Incident. The nightmare returned every night, always leaving her sobbing when she awoke, but not tonight. Something had told her how to stop it, how to run from it. She silently thanked whatever being out there had given her the strength to do so, and slept peacefully for the first time in ages.

**I just have to say thanks to WulfLuvr22 and Demonic Kitten for reminding me that people actually read and enjoy what I post by posting their reviews. So thank you guys, you keep me motivated to write! **


	13. Chapter 12

**Super long chapter!**

The next several weeks were organized chaos. I was covered in bruises constantly, my arms were in a perpetual state of soreness, and for the first week I was either exhausted from dream walking or from sorcery. That first week of magic-use was simply conditioning so I didn't pass out from rudimentary use. After that, I could form fireballs without getting the fog. As the weeks progressed, my reflexes were toned, I could start to decently shoot a bow and throw knives, I could perform harder and harder works of magic without feeling tired at all, and I had gained some mediocre control over the dreams. At the very least, I could stop the emotions from being overwhelming.

There was hardly any time for me to relax, much less worry about Midgard or the prophecy, but they were always in the back of my mind, ignored but not forgotten.

Sif and I had grown closer despite her repeated beatings of me. At dinner she and Loki were the two main people who spoke to me, and several times she had taken me out to go see the city a bit more and show me her favorite shops. Thor still refused to look me in the eye, but he had managed to speak a few civil words to me.

Ollerus hadn't talked to me beyond archery ever since the rumors had flown around that we had slept together. Half the time I wanted to kill him and the other half of the time I wanted to kill Loki. I couldn't kill the former because it wasn't his fault and I couldn't kill the latter because I couldn't be 100% sure it was him. I didn't talk to him about it though; it was for the best he figured out how to deal with it on his own. I'd dealt with it my own way (glaring down anyone who whispered and pointed in my general direction, and maybe once throwing a knife past someone's head). He had to do that for himself. I also hoped in the corner of my mind that he would stop with his whole "we're meant to be" thing now that he knew what just a stupid rumor did.

Still, I missed the Ollerus that I had met and had spent the first day of training with. He became human to me. No matter what the consequences were, I didn't regret that day. I couldn't say the same for Ollerus. Slowly I became accustomed to the teacher Ollerus and started meeting some other Asgardians. Fandral turned out to be pretty funny on occasion, and I finally met the infamous Volstagg. They were exactly the people I was going to meet to celebrate surviving my first month in Asgard.

I was able to get around on my own now, but Odin was still stubborn on me never being alone except when I was sleeping, so Astrid was attached to me at the hip once again.

"Are you sure that you don't want to come along with us tonight? It's a month since I met you too," I asked just one more time to make sure she didn't feel left out. She shook her head.

"No, Jodi. I am too young to be around Volstagg at a party, no matter how formal or informal. I will be fine by myself. Besides, I can listen to Avril Lavigne while you are gone," she reassured. I'd let her borrow my IPod once and she was instantly hooked to Avril. Several times I'd caught her singing the words under her breath.

"Alright, don't cause any trouble while I'm gone, okay?" I said jokingly.

"I never cause trouble. It's you we have to worry about."

"That was only one time and Thor wasn't even sober!" I fake-yelled. We burst into a fit of laughter that had us doubling over.

"What happened now? You two are little devils together," Sif said, sauntering up.

I looked up at her. "You're just jealous that me and Astrid have more fun in one minute than you do in a week," I said, sticking my tongue out at her.

"We'll have enough fun this night for ten of you, Odin forbid ten of you ever exist," she grumbled. I laughed at her and turned to Astrid.

"I'll see you tomorrow pipsqueak."

"See you Jodi!" Astrid said before running off.

"She is starting to sound like you," Sif observed.

"And I'm starting to sound like you lot," I retorted. We started to walk towards the main hall.

"You are still as easily recognized as a Bilgesnipe storming through the front doors."

"And I still have barely the slightest idea as to what that is," I said, only strengthening her statement. We entered the main hall and I saw the Warriors Three (I'd talked to Hogun in passing) and someone else I didn't expect.

"You invited Thor?" I asked.

"I thought it time that you two made up and started acting like proper brother and sister."

"I can't guarantee anything without you, Loki, and Astrid all there to keep both of us calm, and even Loki can't come because of some meeting with Odin. If he pulls the same shit he did last time…"

"But he won't. Jodi, I know the man better than anyone. He truly regrets how he treated you that first day but is too stubborn to admit it. If you two are in the same room you will finally be forced to speak to each other and make nice. So he is coming," Sif said forcefully. She had a look in her eyes that told me that there was no way I was winning this battle, so I groaned and let myself get dragged over there.

Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and Thor were all in their resting clothes, which consisted of well-fitting tunics ranging from red to green to dark purple, and dark leather trousers with boots covering them. I was allowed to not wear my resting clothes for one night since everyone else was, so I had a seamstress make a black halter-top dress that flowed out to just above my knees. The only way I got away with it was I had discovered the week before my daggers weren't an extension of my resting clothes and I could conjure them whenever I wanted to, so I was required to have thigh sheaths with knives in them at all times with invisible slits in the dress so I could easily access them. I really hoped that I didn't have to use them.

"Merry meet Princess!" Fandral shouted.

"Merry meet Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun," I said, carefully avoiding Thor's eyes.

"Merry meet Niorun," Thor said politely. He grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at him. Sif watched us warily. "I hope that my past transgressions can be forgiven. I was extremely disrespectful and I apologize," he said quietly.

"Prove to me that you deserve to be forgiven, and we'll be good," I replied. He smiled and nodded.

"I shall. Now I believe it is time to celebrate your first month in Asgard, and an journey it has been." They all shouted "Hurrah!" and we headed out into the main city.

We headed to their favorite "meeting spot" as they had referred to it. It was a small place called Jotun's Nightmare. I was terrified before we even got there. We walked in and were immediately greeted with a fat, pudgy man. "Welcome Warriors Three, Sif, Thor." He saw me and his eyes got wide. "Oh my! Princess Niorun, it is an honor to have you in my small abode. Please, feel welcomed," he practically shouted. Everyone turned to stare and I looked down, my cheeks as red as an apple.

"It's Jodi," I mumbled. All of the sudden attention had me wishing I were back in my room screaming the words to "Sk8er Boi" with Astrid.

"You're not being shy are you? I thought you would be used to being recognized by now," Sif whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, well I haven't exactly been around many people outside of you, Astrid, Loki, and Ollerus, now have I? I've been locked away in my room outside of you guys. Even dinner I just ignore everyone and they ignore me. That's how I prefer it," I hissed into her ear.

"Maybe you would be more used to it if you actually spoke to people when we left the castle. Or left the castle at all," she bit back. I rolled my eyes. "Now's a perfect time for you to socialize."

We found a table and when the pudgy man came around, I found that everyone had a taste for ale that I didn't share. "Just water please."

"Don't tell me you do not drink Jodi?" Thor asked incredulously.

"No, I don't. I'm not old enough to drink on Midgard and have no interest in drinking anyway," I said evenly, trying not to snap at him.

"This is Asgard, and you are a goddess! You may drink whenever you wish. A pint of ale for the princess!" he pronounced loudly.

"That's not necessary..."

"Nonsense! Every Asgardian must know how to drink," he said as a pint taller than my head was placed in front of me. I stared at the thing wondering how anyone could drink the entire thing. Volstagg's was nearly empty already and everyone else's was halfway gone.

"It is your party sister, enjoy it!" I looked at the pint again. Well, I couldn't be outdone at my own party. I picked it up, steeled my resolve, and started chugging. At first the taste made me want to spit it out, but I kept going anyway, determined to finish the last drop. The place got louder and louder as first Volstagg started cheering me on, then the rest of the group joined in.

It seemed like an eternity before there was no more ale to drink. I slammed the drink down on the table and the bar burst into applause. I raised my arms in victory. "Dude, I can totally drink!" I said and the table burst into laughter.

Thor got up and patted me on the back. "Of course you can, you are my sister! Another for everyone!"

"Okay okay, let's keep the drinking to a minimum, I'd like this to remain semi-civil," I said. I listened carefully for any slurring in my words or if I felt like having a bit too much fun. I felt completely normal, but doesn't every drunken person?

"It takes much more than one pint to get even a child drunk. Do not worry, as you would say 'live a little.'" Where Loki was the logical brother, Thor seemed to be the little devil on my shoulder wanting me to drink until I passed out.

I took the medium and sipped at the ale, slowly acquiring a taste for it. Volstagg and Fandral told me of their many battles into Jotunheim and Niflheim, some of which they went into such excruciatingly gory detail I wanted to puke. Thor would make occasional remarks into these stories, but spent most of his time staring at Sif. Either she was completely oblivious or she was distinctly ignoring him. It was entertaining, and the night was going well.

About halfway through my third pint Sif glanced over at me and stared. "Jodi, is your necklace suppose to do that?"

"What are you talking about?" I looked down at the tiny blue necklace and saw it glowing lightly. "What the…"

"Where did you receive that necklace Princess?" Hogun asked.

"It was gift from my grandpa on Earth, it shouldn't be doing that," I explained, becoming more and more panicked by it.

"Jodi, I know that expression, calm down. Relax your mind," Sif said, grabbing my hand reassuringly. I took several deep breaths and tried to rationally figure out how my perfectly normal necklace suddenly seemed to have magical properties like glowing.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it getting brighter?" Volstagg commented.

It was. The light was becoming more and more pronounced. "It's like you have a miniature Casket of Ancient Winters on your chest. Hopefully we don't have to steal it from you," Fandral tried to joke. I attempted to glare at him and was interrupted by a burning sensation on my forehead.

"My circlet!" I yelled and tried to yank it off. Still, it refused to budge and the burning got worse and worse. "Something's wrong, really wrong. I gotta get back to the castle," I told them before running out. I heard them shouting at me to wait, but I ignored them. Something was pulling me back towards the castle, and I could have sworn that I heard a scream at one point, and it sounded familiar. I tried to place it, and I figured it out just as I reached the castle.

_Astrid_.

I dashed through the castle, screaming for guards, and ran to her room. I threw open the door and didn't see her. My circlet was burning so badly at this point I was sure that it was burning through my skull. There was only one other place.

I sprinted into my room just in time to see something I only recognized from the leather bound book as a Frost Giant, standing over Astrid, a knife coated with blood in his hand. I instantly grabbed both of the knives from their sheaths and threw them, one landing in his arm and the other in his neck. He started sputtering and grabbed his neck, shooting an ice ball at me. I easily dodged it and threw the most powerful fireball I had ever made. He barely had enough time to show fear before he was a pile of ashes.

The bed was dripping blood. I don't even remember moving from my spot at the door to the tiny body. There was a huge red spot forming on Astrid's tunic.

"Astrid, Astrid you're gonna be okay," I tried to say calmly.

"I wish you were right Jodi, but I fear that there is little hope," she choked out. Tears stained her cheeks and there was blood coming out of the corner of her mouth.

I broke down. My voice cracked as I asked desperately, "Why? Why was it you?"

She started to shiver. I hugged her as she said, "Because they wanted you. And I wouldn't tell them anything."

The shivers got worse and she started to cough up blood. "Dammit Astrid why didn't you just tell them? I was with the warriors and we could have gotten them, dammit Astrid," I sobbed.

"It is a handmaiden's job to protect her charge at any cost, including her life," she said softly. I don't think she had the strength to speak above a whisper.

"You're not my handmaiden, you're my friend. And I command you to hold on. Please," I pleaded.

"Thank you for coming," she said weakly. She looked me in the eyes, and all I saw was terror. "I don't want to die Jodi. But everything hurts." Her eyes brightened for a moment. "I died fighting. I can go to Valhalla. I've heard there is no pain there. Do you think that's true?"

I nodded. "No pain. None at all. There's just beautiful green grass everywhere with flowers that smell like honey and dew." She smiled painfully and I kept talking.

"There are hundreds of tall trees to climb, and food that you could never imagine. The best part is you don't have to clean up anything." I couldn't stop talking as her eyes slowly closed. "Everyone you love will be there. Even me, though it might take a little while. We'll mess with Sif and listen to all the Avril Lavigne you want. I promise."

I knew it the moment she was gone. I couldn't feel the staggered rise and fall of her chest anymore. I didn't let go. A few minutes later someone tried to pull me back and I shook them off, refusing to leave her side. A moment later there was someone on either side of me, yanking me off. I assume they were trying to say some words of comfort but I didn't hear any of it over my own screaming to let go.

They shoved me outside the room and sat me down on the wall. I realized it was pointless to fight and pulled my knees up to my chest, refusing to look at either of them. One of them put an arm around me and I was prepared to shoot daggers at them when I saw a pair of soft brown eyes. Ollerus smiled softly and I burst into a new round of tears. I buried my head in his chest and stayed there for a while, glad to feel a familiar pair of arms around me.


	14. Chapter 13

**Crappy filler chapter so I can move on to the next important scene. Sorry :/**_  
_

_Astrid fought desperately. The sword she carried was twice her height, but the monster she fought was four times her size. She fought bravely, but was struck down just as I ran to help. I screamed as she died in my arms again. "It's all your fault," she mumbled. "War is coming, and you weren't ready," she said as she went limp._

I woke up screaming for the third time that week. Immediately there was someone holding me and muttering, "Shh, it's okay." It took me several minutes before I calmed down enough to remember what was going on. I patted Ollerus on the arm, letting him know I was okay again.

"Is she alright?" Loki asked from across the room.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just another nightmare," I reassured.

"Another or the same?" Ollerus asked, having not let go of me yet. I pulled out of his arms.

"The same. It's going to take me a few days to work through this, just give me some time," I explained.

"You are the Goddess of Dreams Jodi; that dream has importance if you have had it this many times in a row," Loki explained.

"People on Midgard have reoccurring nightmares all the time after a traumatic event. It's not unusual. It's just a way to work through it."

"But you are no longer a Midgardian. Tell us what the dream is."

Ollerus quietly watched the exchange, but I could see he agreed with Loki. Ollerus was attached to my hip by order of King Odin, including when I slept. I fought at first, still pissed that he had essentially ignored me the last month. It was useless; with the attack Odin wanted the prophesied guardian with me at all times. Loki was there to make sure we kept in line, though there was nothing to worry about. I was too emotionally distraught to even think about doing anything near what the court thought we would.

I sighed and told them the details of the dream. When I explained what Dream Astrid had said, Ollerus and Loki shared a glance that immediately had me on guard.

"What's that look for? Do you guys know something I don't?" I demanded. I swear they had a telepathic conversation before Ollerus came up and put an arm around my shoulders. I looked at Loki and groaned. "Oh God, you two are about to tell me something I'm not gonna like."

Ollerus looked away and Loki nodded. "We're directly disobeying orders telling you this, but it's necessary if you are to be prepared. Additionally, your gifts are going to show it to you eventually. It's better you hear it from us than be surprised," Loki said.

"Well, might as well kick me while I'm down so I don't fall twice," I muttered. "Tell me."

"Father forbid everyone to tell you this because he felt you weren't ready yet to handle it; after all you were just getting settled in. And you weren't taking that very well," Loki started.

"Yeah, I know. Heimdall said there were things that I wasn't ready to burden yet when I had my freak out," I threw in, remembering my first few days.

"Your life was threatened and we lost a friend. Ready or not, it's time," Ollerus said before letting Loki proceed.

He was quiet for a moment, picking the right words. "Tensions between many of the races have been rising for the past century. The elves of Svartalfheim and the dwarves of Nidavellir grow weary of Asgard's leadership, and the Jötuns have slowly gained power. Even the Midgardians can feel it; I'm sure you did during your time on Midgard. The feeling you're being watched, all light seemingly disappearing for a moment, shadows that aren't supposed to be there. Sound familiar?"

_The shadow the day I arrived,_ I immediately thought. "But I always that that was just paranoia…"

Loki chuckled without mirth. "Humans rationalize things they can't explain. There is, however, an explanation beyond their realm. Father has been able to keep control over it, but things have only gotten worse since you were spotted. Threats have gotten much louder and more pronounced and many have whispered that Ragnarok is upon us.

"I do not believe that it is the end of the Nine Realms, but I do believe it has much to do with the prophecy and I'm not the only one with this assumption. People are going to seek you out; more enemies will try to find you, and they will not be so quiet. You are influential to whatever is about to happen. 'Eternal war or the loss of all, the path only she can choose to decide Fate.' We have to make sure you are protected at all costs so you can make the right choice. Albeit, neither one sounds very appealing, but one must be the wiser choice than the other. You have to be able to make that decision."

At that moment, I felt like I had been more of bucked off a horse and dragged by my teeth than been kicked. "So these attacks aren't going to stop? What if more people die because of me?" I murmured. Ollerus tightened his grip around me.

"No more people are going to die; we're ready now and so are you," he reassured.

I kept my panic at bay, but a voice still whispered in the back of my head _more will die because of you; no matter what you choose people will die_. I shoved it into the corner of my mind and did my best to ignore it. "How am I ever going to be ready for something like that?" I asked.

"I'll help you of course. We will all do our part. Thor is still slightly fearful of you despite showing you truly aren't that terrifying." I was half-tempted to burn half of Loki's hair off just to prove him wrong, but I didn't care enough to actually do it. "But I will help guide you, if you allow me," he continued.

"Yeah, of course. I trust you more than anyone, except for maybe Sif," I agreed. Ollerus looked offended. "You have no right to be mad. You lost major points ignoring me for a month, and it's going to take me a while to get over that. You being there for me doesn't change everything instantly." He let go and refused to look at me, but I saw a slight pout to his lips. _Yep, still just a puppy_, I thought.

Loki smiled. "I'm glad to hear you trust me."

"Of course. Minor bumps in the road, but you proved yourself." There were a few moments of silence as everything that had been revealed was absorbed. I got up and Ollerus immediately followed. "Guys, I kind of need a moment for me. Do you mind if I take a walk on my own?" I said, attempting to shoo them off. Loki nodded and after a second Ollerus reluctantly followed his example. I gave them a reassuring smile and walked out the door. I got a few steps down the hall before someone grabbed my arm and spun me around.

"Do you truly trust Loki more than I, the one meant to protect you?" Ollerus asked. I saw a slight desperation in his eyes that I thought was a bit overdramatic.

"Yeah, I do," I said without hesitation.

"Why? I was one of the first people to arrive when you were in need," he said, seeming to be truly shocked by my statement.

"Because it's not about if you're there when they need to be. Sure it's a good thing, but it's about being there when you're not needed. Being a friend. And you ran from that the minute someone got the wrong idea." I had managed to keep my emotions from completely boiling over the last few days, and now all I wanted to do was burst.

"I'm not running now," he said softly. I rolled my eyes.

"Only because your life depe-" I was cut off by a pair of lips crashing into mine. Instinct that hadn't been used since my life on Midgard kicked in and I brought my knee up to his groin. He collapsed almost instantly and groaned in pain.

"Don't ever touch me again without my permission," I hissed before walking away.

"Please, Jodi, be wary of Loki. He is the God of Lies for a reason," I heard him sputter out as I turned a corner. I made several more turns to make sure he couldn't find me if he got up soon and was quickly lost in my head.

Was it really my fault that Astrid had died? After all, their had only been one other invasion that I knew about before I even arrived. No causalities though, and this time a little girl had died. The reality that the lives of hundreds of people relied on me crashed on me. The prophecy had seemed so foreign and unconcerning when I first heard it, and suddenly it was right on top of everything. Not so suddenly as I just found out, but it was unnerving. These thoughts and thousands more like them ran through my head until I stopped in front of a window.

The Bifrost glowed brightly just outside. The Observatory sat silent, Heimdall invisible from this distance, but surely guarding it from any unwelcomed visitors. An idea popped in my head, one that would stop anyone from going after my friends and family here. No one would know who or where I was. Now if I could convince Heimdall it was for the best also, everything would be okay. Or so I thought.


	15. Chapter 14

"I know why you are here, but I am still under orders. I can not grant your wish," Heimdall said as I walked up to him. I wanted to smack some emotion into his voice.

"Heimdall, I have to do this. If I don't, more could die because of me. I'd be safe there and no one would be able to find me. I'm good enough at magic now I can hide myself relatively well, and my fighting skills have only improved. Please Heimdall, send me back to Midgard." I'd practiced that speech on my way down to the Bifrost.

"Are you sure you are doing this for the good of others, or is it because you are running from your own fears?" Heimdall asked.

"I'm running. There's no denying that. But me running is the best thing for everyone right now. No one is ready for this prophecy to come to fruition. Not me, not Ollerus, not Sif, not even Odin. The decision is still far at hand; there is time. I will return, but I need this time away from Ollerus forcing himself on me, from Astrid's death, from everything. Just give me this Heimdall. Just give me this," I pleaded.

I could almost hear the line _Time ticks away down the hall, as the world prepares its queen_. I pushed it back; I couldn't have any doubts that leaving was the best choice. If I did, I knew I'd go running back and let them all figure it out for me.

"What makes you think that this isn't the decision that decides it?" That made me pause and think for a second. I shook my head.

"No, it isn't. I can feel it in my bones. This isn't it. I'll know the second it's time. But it's not now. Please Heimdall!" I begged.

Heimdall was quiet. Creepy quiet. I prepared myself for defeat when I saw him move into the Observatory and put the sword into the center of the room. "I can not send you back to Midgard," he said before walking back to his previous spot and looking out into the distance. Worried, I ran in and turned the sword before he could change his mind. In an instant I felt the gut wrenching, I've-just-been-shot-out-of-a-cannon feeling for the second time in my life.

I landed and instantly fell to my knees. Inter-world travel was so not my thing. It took a few seconds to recover before I could stand up and observe my surroundings. There was sand as far as the eye could see in nearly every direction. It may have been sand, but it was Earth. I was back on my planet.

Out in the distance I could see a few small buildings, but they were ridiculously far away. I made sure being on Midgard didn't cut me off from my powers and was relieved to find that I could conjure some water. I made a water bottle and summoned a pair of shorts, tennis shoes, and a light t-shirt to quickly change into.

Once changed, I formed a backpack and stuffed my resting clothes in. I didn't know when I would need them again, but it was nice to have on hand. I tugged at the circlet for kicks and it didn't budge.

"Some things you just can't get rid of," I muttered. I put up a basic shield that would hide me from any prying eyes and started jogging towards the town. I felt a little hazy; I was still new to making things appear out of nowhere and couldn't do complicated things like a car, so the fog had mildly returned.

The sun beat down on me for a good half hour before I reached the tiny town. It was wonderful to feel something different from the perfect temperature that was Asgard. I wandered, getting some strange looks from the locals until I found a little diner and walked in.

On a wall there was a rack with several pamphlets with the words "New Mexico" in giant letters. "How far are we from Santa Fe?" I asked the waitress behind the bar.

"About 20 miles out. You lost or somethin'?"

"Yeah, you could say that," I mumbled. "Know of any place I could rent a car?"

"No, but we can call you a cab. If you order something," she said. I rolled my eyes and ordered a hamburger, missing the good ol' American sandwich. I realized I was a ton hungrier than I had thought and ordered two more, paying with some conjured money.

I thought about where I was going to go. My family lived in Santa Fe, but there was the whole issue that no one remembered my existence. Papa had been trying to rent out his house; if he still was I could pose as a potential renter. I liked the idea of living in a familiar house.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked when he arrived.

I gave him the address and acted out what I was going to say so I didn't end up blurting out something like, "Hi! I'm Jodi, your granddaughter that was kidnapped by the Norse god Odin, but you don't know me because all memory of me was wiped from the Earth. Can I stay here?" I grabbed the blue necklace out of habit. Hopefully he hadn't rented out the house yet.

We were there in thirty minutes and I did a final mental prep. I paid the cabbie and got out, walking straight to the door without hesitating. Those few moments between ringing the doorbell and the door actually opening were the longest in the world. I took a huge breath as the door opened and started. "Hi, I saw you were renting out-"

I was pulled into a massive hug in the middle of my introductory sentence. "Where the hell have you been Jodi? I've been trying to get a hold of you for the last month but some random guy keeps answering your phone saying he has no idea who you are! I visited your apartment but it was stark empty. I told you you were too young to move out. You had me worried sick!" Papa practically screamed in my ear.

"Wait, you…you remember who I am?" I stammered.

"Of course I do, I'm your grandfather, I could never forget you," he said, giving me a reassuring smile. We went inside and I collapsed on the couch.

"Did you call Dad and Mom to look for me?" I asked. His smile faltered.

"I did," he said solemnly.

"And?"

"They said they had no idea who you were and that I should focus on Alice's college search. I thought they were pulling a prank but it's happened several times now. And I'm guessing it's not a prank judging by how you reacted when you saw me." I shook my head.

"It's not a prank. But why do you remember me?" I wondered out loud.

"The only way we are going to figure this out is if you tell me what has been going in this last month," he said.

"It's kind of insane…"

"I'm the one who taught you it was okay to be insane. Try me," he challenged. I grinned and told him every thing from the shadows that first day all the way to begging Heimdall to return me. It took me over an hour, even summarizing the prophecy. I started crying talking about Astrid that required my favorite blanket and chocolate to get me going again, and I ended with my final conversation with Heimdall.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was insane," he commented.

"I wasn't. Do you think I'm going crazy?"

"No. It all fits with what has been going on here. And crazy people don't think they are crazy," he soothed. I smiled gratefully. "However, we do need to discuss you running from your responsibilities. We've discussed this before Jodi."

"Really? I tell you the Norse gods are real and that the fate of possibly the entire universe depends on me and you decide to admonish me on coming home? Really?" I asked, bewildered.

"I've seen enough things in my time that gods being real is not surprising. And I want to talk to this Ollerus kid before things go any farther…"

"Papa I don't even want to date him…" I groaned.

"And," he shushed me, "the fact you did come home with the fate of the universe in your hands is exactly why I'm admonishing you. You can't run from this Jodi. This Heimdall character should have never let you leave. You should be getting ready so you can make the right choice. As much as I'm glad that you are here and alive, this is not where you are supposed to be. You have to return, and ASAP."

"It's not like I wasn't going to go back eventually," I muttered, embarrassed that my grandpa was lecturing me like I was 10 again and not a Norse goddess.

"It doesn't matter if you planned on going back or not; you have to fix this. It's time to stop running. Maybe part of the reason you had to go back when you did was because you were ready to. You are independent, humble, and I know you can handle your anger so much better than this. We taught you better. Prove to everyone you are ready," he finished. _The missing blood, taken without will returned when her heart accepts rage. Her humanity not allowing the kill. A world she never belonged to making her wiser for the age_ was whispered in my ear.

"Shut up, I don't need more proof he's right," I hissed under my breath.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Nothing." I sighed. "You're right. Can I at least have today? Honestly, I'm beat. Maintaining a shield like the one I have up really freaking sucks and I'd like to get some rest before heading back to Asgard."

Papa nodded. "Yes, you can have today. But I want you back tomorrow, okay?" He walked up to me and wrapped me in another hug. "I knew you were destined for great things."

"Oh stop it, you're making me blush!" I said in a Southern Belle accent.

"Go get some rest kiddo. I'll have breakfast ready for you tomorrow."

I got up and walked to my room. "Alright Papa. Love you."

"Love you too sweetheart. And as soon as you are done saving the universe, I do expect to meet Ollerus," he said as I closed the door.

"Not my boyfriend!" I shouted. I could hear a muffled chuckle. I rolled my eyes and collapsed on the bed, asleep almost instantly.


	16. Chapter 15

Astrid stood at the foot of my bed. Or someone who looked an awful lot like Astrid. It was more of a grown-up, armor-wearing, badass version of Astrid. She looked like she was several inches taller than me now, her blonde hair in a ponytail and a sword at her hip. Her eyes had gone from light to crystal blue, and they stared at me with amusement. "Do I really look so different from the last time we met?"

I hopped up and hugged her. It was awkward with her golden armor on, but I some how managed. "Yes. And it's really weird not having to bend down to hug you."

She laughed. "Are you crying?" she asked. My cheeks were a little wet; I hadn't even realized it.

"I thought you were dead! What the hell happened to you?"

She pulled away and sat down on the bed. "I did die. Only the Norns had something different in mind for me when I arrived at Valhalla."

"Well what was it?" She stayed silent and smiled, waiting for me to figure it out. I took a closer look at the golden armor and saw a pair of wings where my fire emblem would be. My eyes got huge as I remembered where I saw that motif. "No way! You're a…"

"Yes. If I hadn't moved on before I had received my natural garments, I would have been a Valkyrie." There was a moment of silence and then I wrapped her in another hug.

"That is amazing Astrid! Who knew that a little handmaiden would grow up to be a Valkyrie? And taller than me," I congratulated.

"Well I had to do some massive growing up in a short amount of time. Not unlike someone else I know," she said pointedly.

"Technically I was already grown up. I just had to learn how to be a grown up in another world," I replied.

A stormy look crossed her face. "As much as I would like to continue with our normal banter, there's something I have to show you," she said cryptically.

"What do you have to show me? And Papa is going to freak if I'm not here " I told her.

She gestured at the bed. I didn't see anything. "What are you pointing at?" And then I was looking at me. Not a mirror, but me lying on my bed. "Dude. I'm astral projecting. That is awesome."

"You're not astral projecting. Think of this as lucid dreaming. You control where you go, and whose dreams you go to."

"Astrid. You know I can't do that. I wish I had that kind of control over the dream walking but I'm nowhere near it," I pointed out the obvious.

"Being with your grandfather and back on Midgard seems to have helped you through your learning curve. Thank Odin, or I would have not been able to reach you and it would have been too late. We have to go now!" she pushed. I had a vague sense of déjà vu. I held back the fact that just a few days ago she was younger than me and technically I was her superior. She could probably beat me in a second anyway with her new status.

Astrid grabbed my arms. "You might want to close your eyes," she suggested. I did as I was told and felt a light breeze around us. "Okay, you can open them again, but if you have to speak be quiet," she whispered. We were behind the grand pillars of the throne room in the castle. I peaked around and saw Loki sitting on the throne in full armor (horns and all) and a massive man with dark obsidian-colored skin with what appeared to be pointed ears facing him.

"What the…"

"We're in Loki's mind, now shush!" I gave her a, 'what the hell' look and turned back to my brother.

"What do you mean you lost her?" There was a rage on his face that I had never seen before.

"It appears you have trained her too well. She disappeared almost the instant she returned to Midgard," the obsidian man replied snarkily.

"I hired you to watch her while she was on the accursed planet, including if she ever returned, as I thought she might. You were nearly discovered last time she was there. Luckily Fate placed her in my grasp before she could question it thoroughly," Loki said, getting up and looking off in the distance.

_Her? As in me?_ I mouthed to Astrid. She nodded.

"The only reason I was spotted at all was because it was because of the battle on Svartalfheim and her natural inclination. It will not happen again. I trust our deal is intact?" the man questioned.

"Find Princess Niorun and ensure her well being. The dear ruler of Asgard has fallen into the Odinsleep; the princess's escape being the final draw. He is at his weakest. Make sure she returns for the judgment and if you manage that, once the time comes and I rule Asgard, your people will have the Warlock's Eye."

_God dammit Jodi! Always follow your first instinct!_ I chastised myself.

"I apologize if I'm stepping out of place, but there seems to be some concern for this girls survival. Did you grow to actually care for the lost child?" the pointy-eared man asked with amusement.

Loki shot him his famous death glare. "She is no blood relation of mine, why should I care beyond her use to me? Now find her before I obliterate you and Malekith must send another of your kind to pester me." The man bowed and disappeared. Loki sat back down on the throne, resting his head in his hand thoughtfully.

"Come, you've seen enough," Astrid said, grasping my arms again.

Loki's head shot up. "Who's there? Jodi, is that you?" he shouted into the room.

"I thought he couldn't sense us!" I hissed.

"He's probably trained himself to detect if there is something off about what is going on. Just sit still for a moment while I get us out of here!" she whispered back.

Loki scanned the room carefully, searching for anything out of place. He hesitated over our hiding spot and started making his way slowly over. "Jodi, we've been worried about you. Come out of hiding and we will discuss what you may have overheard. Father dearly misses you, and Thor and Ollerus are searching for you."

"Astrid, any day now," I muttered.

"One more sec, there!" she said successfully as Loki rounded the pillar and we disappeared.

We landed back with a _thump_, breathing heavily and trying not to freak out that we'd nearly been caught by Loki. It took me a minute to process everything I'd just seen and react appropriately.

"Dammit dammit dammit! I knew it; I fucking knew it and I didn't trust myself. And he was using me. Ollerus fucking knew it, Heimdall knew it, everyone but me. God dammit I'm so stupid!" I screamed.

"You had no reason not to trust him."

"Yeah, except for common fucking sense. He's the Trickster for God's sake!" I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands, cursing myself over and over. Astrid sat next to me. "Why can't anything good actually happen without something horrible happening right after? Stupid higher being…"

"You know what you have to do to repair this. Go back to Asgard and stop Loki. You remember Malekith from the leather book. You must not let him enter the Aesir, or war will rage like never seen before. The loss of life will be tremendous," Astrid warned. "I have to leave now before the other Valkyries find out I've interfered where I shouldn't have. Goodbye Jodi." I looked up.

"Thank you, for showing me that," I said.

Astrid nodded. "I shouldn't have. I'll see you soon Jodi," she said.

"We'll listen to Avril Lavigne," I said as she started to fade. She paused.

"Do you...um…happen to have your IPod on you? And can I maybe borrow it?" she asked innocently.

I laughed. "I knew my little Astrid was still in there. Here," I said, rapidly transporting the IPod from my room in Asgard to my pocket. I picked it out and handed it to her. "I don't know if you'll actually get it considering this is a dream, but here."

Astrid's face broke into a smile and she took it. "I actually have it. Thank you Jodi!" she said finally before fading away. I smiled, glad to know my friend was happy and safe.

It disappeared quickly as I thought about Loki again. I scanned through the leather-bound book in my head, trying to remember all the information it had on him.

Malekith was a dark elf, and a very powerful sorcerer. The Warlock's Eye in his hands would be extraordinarily dangerous. Malekith had the army; Loki had the Eye. Their alliance was mutually beneficial; unfortunately mutually beneficial for them was devastating to the rest of the universe. Both were master sorcerers while I was still a fledgling.

There was also the added factor that it was Loki, the first guy I trusted in Asgard. My brother. Though the only person actually related to me was Thor, I had considered Loki my brother more than him. What if I had to kill him? The possibility wasn't in the realm of the imaginable for me, even after everything.

There was a long road ahead of me.


	17. Chapter 16

Lucid dreaming sucks. It took me what seemed like forever to figure out how to wake up, and I could feel myself being pulled in hundreds of different directions. I ended up helping several people through their issues and accidentally walking into a very uncomfortable scene.

I thought of Alice and was almost instantly in her dream. She was in the arms of a boy, kissing him gently. I recognized the kid; he was the guy she had been talking about for weeks but had never had to courage to ask out. It looked like he finally had. It was a bittersweet moment. She was happy with me gone.

I visited the rest of my family, none having nightmares. It was reassuring and sad at the same time. I went back to my room, realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to subject myself to that kind of torture.

Eventually I figured out that to wake up I had to pretty much jump on myself. Let's just say its really jarring jumping onto yourself one moment and the next lying on your back. I practically leaped out of bed; it was that disorientating.

I walked into the kitchen and smelled the wonderful smell of bacon. Papa was making pancakes with bacon on the griddle. "You know me way too well," I said, plopping down on a chair and attempting to rub my headache away.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked, setting a plate of pancakes in front of me with a glass of milk.

"Let's just say I had a nightmare from Hell," I said. I heaved a giant mouthful of the delicious pancakes into my mouth. It was these little Earth traditions like breakfast that I missed.

"You still get nightmares as the Goddess of Dreams?" he asked curiously.

I nodded, rapidly chewing my food to explain. "I've only had my own dreams once since I disappeared and those were nightmares, so yes. Usually I live other people's dreams and help out where I can. This was more of me learning some information using my ability. Really sucky information that makes getting back to Asgard as soon as possible even more important."

He nodded in understanding. "We'll finish breakfast and then I'll drive you to wherever this place is. I'd like to see this portal you say brought you here."

I agreed and we munched on the rest of our breakfast, talking about random little things.

As I started cleaning up, Papa said, "I've been thinking about how I remember you. I called Alice one last time and she still had no idea who you were, so it's just me. You say that the only thing that stayed with you was your necklace right?" I nodded.

"Yeah, so?"

"You said it reacted when Astrid was being…hurt, as did that little circlet of yours. You've never taken the necklace off, have you?"

"Not since you gave it to me. I've always seen it as a connection to you and my family."

"Precisely why I remember you. You predominantly connected it with me and so when you left, it maintained that connection. Somehow it was strong enough that I didn't forget you. I think that's also part of the reason why your circlet burnt you."

I looked over at him. "Huh? Most of that made sense, but that was a giant leap."

"It's not if you think about it. The necklace is connected to your soul somehow, and the people you hold closest. That's why when Astrid was in danger it began to glow. It was attempting to warn you. Now I don't understand the physics of magic, but that doesn't seem improbable." I conceded to that. Magic could be funky that way.

"But that still doesn't explain why the circlet burnt me," I pointed out.

"Well the circlet shows what power you are accessing if this Loki guy is right." I cringed at his name, barely going back into a neutral face before Papa saw. "It's black right now, so you aren't accessing anything. Red for fire or the warrior side of you, and blue for dreams. If the necklace and circlet are connected, than it's easy. Easy enough for you to figure out," he said slyly.

I glared at him. "You're not making me do this again?"

"Just because you are a goddess doesn't mean you can't be tested. Now figure it out." I always hated it when he did this. He would give me several clues about something and then I had to figure it out. It was especially infuriating when it was my birthday and the clues were vague like "It's in a box."

I put all the pieces in my head, imagining them twisting and trying to fit them in different patterns until they finally clicked.

"I'm still a warrior, not just a sorceress. The necklace warned me about someone I cared about was in trouble, and the circlet told me I needed to protect them. That would be incredibly helpful during a battle, which is why I wear the necklace with my natural garments. The circlet burnt me when I wasn't using any power to help my comrade. The necklace to warn and the circlet to summon the power. Oh my God you're a genius Papa!" I said and hugged him.

"After all these years I should be," he mumbled. I shook my head at him when there was a knock on the door.

"You expecting anyone?" I questioned.

"No, no I'm not," he said, slightly worried. He gestured me to stay in the kitchen while he went to the door. I stepped behind the wall a peaked out as he opened the door slightly.

"Hello, can I help you?" he said carefully.

"Yes, I believe there is a girl named Jodi staying here. May I see her?" an oddly familiar voice said.

"I have no idea who Jodi is. Whoever she is, I hope you find her," Papa said evenly. I silently thanked God that he had been in the Marines and knew how to keep a poker face.

"You can not fool me old man, it is not so simple to trick a god." I pinpointed the voice.

"Ollerus? How the hell did you find me?" I said, walking out from my hiding spot. Papa opened the door more and there was Ollerus, not in armor as usual but his resting clothes. Orange tunic tucked into black leather pants and high-top boots made him stick out like a sore thumb compared to most Earthlings.

"It is not difficult when one simply checks the family that the missing princess always talks about. Heimdall also was helpful in locating you," he said with a straight face, but I could see relief in his eyes.

"Traitor," I hissed under my breath. I sighed. "There was no use in coming to find me. We were just about to leave and I was going to head back. No search party needed." He shifted around uncomfortably.

"Heimdall also said that you'd return soon. I still wished to find you sooner so we could properly talk. It seems that learning my lesson once wasn't enough, and I had to be physically taught not to be as forward as I was. I apologize," he said, glancing at Papa awkwardly. Papa had narrowed his eyes and was scanning Ollerus suspiciously. It was the look he always gave when I brought a guy home to meet the family.

I walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Papa, no need to give him the stare down. I'm sorry too Ollerus. I shouldn't have kneed you; there were other ways to stop you. After all, it's not like you were groping me," I said, ending with a small smile.

"So I take it I'm not needed to drive you?" Papa said with an undertone of sadness.

"You can still give me a ride. This kid drives me nuts," I said jokingly. Ollerus, however, didn't see the joke.

"I'd like to 'stop driving you nuts' as you so eloquently put it. Would you…" he stumbled over the next part, "accompany me on a date? Sif is keeping things under control in Asgard, as Odin has fallen into the Odinsleep."

"Yeah, I know," I mumbled.

"They can bare our absence a day longer. With all the chaos from the last few days I would like to take a day to get to know my charge properly. If you wish." I swear Papa's eyes bulged out of his head. No guy had ever dared be so bold in front of an ex-Marine.

I looked him up and down. The guy was trying so hard. "Are you asking because you would actually like to get to know me or because you feel obligated?" It was a question that I had wanted to ask for a while now. He was taken aback by that, having not seriously thought about it.

"A bit of both I suppose. I've always felt the obligation as you know, but as I said before, you are more intriguing than most of the women in the court. Particularly because you beat Thor yet screech like a banshee and attempt to attack someone when surprised," he said with a mischievous grin.

"Shut up!" I squeaked, turning a bright shade of red.

"That sounds like my Jodi," Papa said with a chuckle.

"So, what do you say?" Ollerus asked eagerly.

Yes, Ollerus was bipolar as hell. One minute he was a confident warrior making jokes and saving the day and the next he was a little puppy trying to figure out what he was doing in the world. Yes, he had made several unwanted advances towards me. But could I really blame him? His life depended on me, and he seemed sincere that he wanted to get to know me. Maybe it was the fact I felt sympathy for him, that I'd just lost all faith in the only guy my age that I trusted, or that the entire world was about to crash down on me and this would be my last chance at normalcy, or maybe I had some feelings for him, but whatever the case was, I said without hesitation, "Yes," and left with him, hoping that I wouldn't regret it.

**One more calm chapter after this before shit hits the fan. Be prepared!**


	18. Chapter 17

We went to a local Indian restaurant that had been my favorite place to eat. I ordered two plates of curry for us and we fell into an awkward silence.

"Well, any questions for me?" I prodded, trying to get him to speak. This was his idea after all.

"Yes, what is this curry?" he asked, staring at the plates that were plopped in front of us.

"Honestly? I could have sworn I saw some at the banquet hall," I asked incredulously. "It's rice with delicious sauce on top of it and sometimes meat, my personal favorite being lamb. Try it, it's delicious," I said, chowing down into it. He picked up his fork warily and took a small bite. His eyes widened.

"It's spicy!" he shouted, his mouth still full. I giggled slightly.

"Yeah, I probably should have warned you. Chew with your mouth shut and don't shout, people will stare," I said. The only other people in there were a 13 year-old couple making out in the corner, clearly not paying any attention to us. I still wanted to keep a low profile as much as possible, particularly with a man dressed like he was heading to the Renaissance Fair. Knowing my luck of late we'd get arrested for being weird.

Ollerus swallowed this bite and sat for moment. "After the burning sensation fades away, it's not terrible. We should bring some back to Asgard. I'm sure Volstagg would enjoy this heartily," he determined, starting to munch into it. I smiled and shook my head.

"You're such a kid," I said.

His face darkened slightly. "A didn't receive much of a childhood. It mostly consisted of training me to become your guardian, which I've done a poor job at."

Guilt welled up inside of me. "No, I've just been too stubborn to let you be my guardian. You were right about several things. Though that whole ignoring thing, that was partly your fault."

He nodded. "My experience with the court is minimal. When I heard those rumors it was a bit disturbing. I knew we didn't do what they claimed; yet I still found it embarrassing. I pushed you away to make myself better. It was inappropriate, and I hope you have forgiven me for it," he explained.

"I understand the feeling. I did that a lot until I learned to just stop giving a crap what other people think. Be yourself, that's all that matters. The court can go screw itself for all I care," I said, reassuring him.

"I will try that." He paused. "What was growing up on Earth like?" he asked.

I grinned and launched into my childhood, telling him everything from my paranoia ("That explains a lot") to what stupid little things I did as a kid. It was nice to reminisce when things were normal. He listened attentively, asking questions here and there. The idea of schools astounded him. It was difficult for him to wrap his head around the idea that hundreds or thousands of students learned similar things at around the same time.

"It sounds like you lived an exciting life," he commented.

"It was about the same as everyone else's. Though being able to see people staring over me while I slept was pretty unique."

"I imagine," Ollerus said shortly, seeming slightly uncomfortable.

"Why did you never visit me while on I was still here? I remember every single person who I saw, and most I've met, but you never did. How come?" I asked, curious.

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "In truth, I was a little intimidated by you before I had even laid eyes upon you. I wanted to be able to speak to you when I met you so I would know whether or not that feeling of intimidation was founded."

"There is no need, you know that right?"

"Now I do, though that battle with Thor has made a lasting impression," he said with a smirk.

"Again I say, not my fault!" I jokingly yelled. I was slowly beginning to understand Ollerus a bit more, and it felt...right.

He looked out at the sky. "We should be returning soon. Thor is currently running Asgard, and while I have faith in the prince, his brother is what concerns me. I know you trust Loki, but he can be manipulative and…" I put a finger to his lips.

"Ollerus, there's something I should tell you." Concern showed in his eyes. I explained what I had learned from Astrid the night before, and his expression became more and more solemn.

"Are you sure this was not someone else's nightmare?" he asked. I nodded.

"And it seemed like it wasn't the first conversation he'd had with the guy. And the guy was familiar." I told him about the shadow I had seen and the dream I had so long ago.

"Why would Loki tell you about the shadows and those things if it would give him away? Loki is one to try and get what he wants but siding with Malekith is a reach."

"I don't think that he thought I would reach the point in my abilities where I could investigate his subconscious personally. Whatever the case is, he wants me back there, and he thinks he can use me to get the throne of Asgard. I just don't understand why he wants it so badly," I said. The man I had saw the night before was so far from the man I knew, there had to be some rational explanation.

"Loki has always been jealous of Thor, everyone knows this. Though completely betraying your father and giving the Warlock's Eyes to one of our greatest enemies is a bit far, I agree." We lapsed into silence, thinking about what could drive a prince so far.

A thought occurred to me. "Ollerus, what if Loki is the false sun? What if that's who changes my decision forever if you didn't protect me properly?" His eyes brightened slightly.

"If that's true, than the prophecy will end in our favor. You would never side with him, and I will live. Thank Odin!" he exclaimed. He grabbed my head and kissed me again. My eyes shot open and then slowly closed again, going into the kiss. Something was different about it this time. It didn't seem so desperate. He leaned back into his chair, releasing me.

"I apologize, that was inappropriate, especially since it was only yesterday that I did the same thing and regretted it," he said, avoiding my gaze.

"No, it's okay. I actually, um… kind of liked it," I stuttered, blushing slightly. "At the least I didn't get the urge to knee you this time," I recovered.

He laughed. "True. Or ran-" he was cut off by the door slamming open.

"Niorun! Ollerus! You are not at each other's throats, that is fantastic!" Thor shouted, Mjölnir raised. The Warriors Three and Thor walked in in full armor.

"What are you doing? You are carrying weapons in the middle of Santa Fe; you can be arrested for that," I hissed. Sif appeared from behind them, dressed at least in her resting clothes.

"I tried to tell them that, but they refused to listen to me. Men," she said, exasperated.

"We have come to bring you home Sister!" he shouted.

"We dearly missed our drinking woman," Vosltagg threw in.

"Keep your voices down!" I shouted over them, standing up. The couple stared at us and ran out of the restaurant. This was getting worse and worse. Thor's presence finally clicked. "Thor, why are you not in Asgard keeping control?" I asked, staring him dead in the eye.

"I was not going to leave my sister on Midgard. You do not belong, and you are needed. The people of Asgard need to know the Princess that decides their fate does not run from a challenge," he said. It made sense; there was just one problem that occurred to Ollerus before it did to me. He stood up and looked at everyone.

"Then who sits on the throne of Asgard?" Ollerus asked, worry sketched all over him.

"Well Loki of course. He is the only male in the royal family still there," Thor said, not seeing the danger.

I looked at Ollerus with horror. His expression matched mine. "We have to get back to Asgard. Now," I commanded. I took out my phone and text Papa to have the car ready.

"Why, what has happened?" Sif asked, confused.

"I'll explain on the way, but let's just say that the prophecy is about to come to light," I said solemnly, running out of the restaurant with everyone at my heels. Whether I was ready or not, it was time for the rhyme to become reality.


	19. Chapter 18

I filled everyone in on the way back to Papa's. I changed into my armor and we piled into the car. No one spoke a word; the tension between us could be cut by a knife. Thor refused to look at any of us, not wanting to believe his brother could turn on him, but not being able to deny it either. The rest of us respected that. I stared out the window, realizing it might be the last time that I saw my hometown. Eternal war or the loss of all was my choice. Both sounded horrible. How the hell did anyone expect _me_, a month-old goddess by all respects, to choose one over the other and know it was the right choice?

Ollerus saw the look on my face and wrapped an arm around me. "It will work out Jodi, I have faith in you," he whispered in my ear.

"Perhaps it is misplaced," I said quietly.

"Do not speak as if you will fail. Speak as though whatever is about to happen is what is meant to happen."

"I hope so," I said, still not looking at him. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

"It will work out. Say it." I looked at his eyes, the first thing that I noticed when I met him. I was reminded why; they were incredibly soft and filled with worry and the need to protect, but also belief. Belief in me. Who was I to deny him that?

"It will work out," I repeated. He smiled and kissed my forehead. I rested my head on his shoulder and stayed there for the rest of the car ride. 7 warriors and a grandpa driving to a portal that would take us to another realm. It was probably the closest to normal I would get nowadays.

We pulled over and walked over to the spot. I turned to Papa. "This is it," I said simply.

"Good luck sweetie, be careful," he said, pulling me into a hug.

"Thanks, I will." I held back tears as I walked into the center of the bridge. "Heimdall, open the bridge!" I shouted.

Nothing happened. No beam of light to transport us. "Heimdall?" I yelled.

"Heimdall, we have no time, you must open the bridge now!" Thor joined. We stood there waiting like awkward ducks.

"What's wrong?" Papa called.

"I don't-" I was cut off by a light surrounding all of us. My muscles were tensed and ready for the cannon shot this time. I landed without a hitch and stood tall, only I didn't see Heimdall standing there with the key. It was Loki.

"Loki back away from the Observatory now!" I ordered.

"So you were there. You truly are powerful," he said, looking impressed.

I formed two fireballs, one for each hand. "Yeah, and I have no qualms with using my power on you if you don't move away from the key."

"Now now Jodi, there is no need for that. I don't think Thor would like that much either," he said. I looked behind me and saw Thor looking at me warily, ready to stop me in a second. I dissipated the fire.

"Thor, I won't hurt Loki if I don't have to. But you have to be ready to back me up in a second if I do, okay?" I tried to convince him.

"You have given me no reason to trust you over my brother. What if you are the false sun, trying to put all the blame on Loki and cause war?" he questioned.

"Thor! Even Frigga has publicly stated that Niorun is the girl of the prophecy, and Frigga never speaks of what she knows. Thor I trust her, please, trust me," Sif begged. I made a note to thank her later, as he seemed to side with her.

"Okay. But if I so much suspect her-"

"Brother there will be no need to take arms against our sister. In fact, I believe we will be able to join together," Loki said.

"Loki I've seen what you are planning, what in all of Niflheim makes you think I would ever work with you? Where's Heimdall?" I demanded. A part of me was curious as to why he looked so confident with this knowledge. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Hogun moving around the Observatory to investigate.

"You truly do sound like us now. Because what you saw is not truth. It was a mere nightmare, a construction of the mind that you wandered into. Heimdall was simply called to Odin's presence. He has awakened from the Odinsleep in your absence, having recovered quickly. I am merely here to watch over the gate until his return. There is no need to investigate further Hogun; I hide nothing," he explained. It was rational, and I could tell he had Thor and the Warriors Three convinced, but Ollerus and Sif still looked at him as I did: with distrust.

"I'm calling bullshit. Heimdall has only left the Observatory in extreme cases and would definitely never leave it in the hands of you. I've learned how to use my ability, and I have faith in it, so that's not it either. So if you're ready to tell the truth, where is he?" I challenged. He shook his head as if I had just said something funny.

"I forget how stubborn you can be sometimes. Have I made any move to threaten any of you?"

"No, but you haven't stepped away from the key. Now do it or I will force you to!" Thor grabbed my shoulder.

"Do not threaten my brother! Know your place!" he shouted into my face. I ripped my shoulder out of his grasp and restrained from punching him.

"'Tis fine Brother. No need to resort to violence," Loki said and stepped away from Heimdall's sword. I relaxed slightly.

"Thank you. Took you long enough," I said annoyed. He smiled and I noticed his right hand flick slightly and the key turn. "No!" I ran up and tried to turn the key back, but it refused to budge.

I watched as dark elves began to pour into the Observatory. The _woosh_ of swords being drawn could be heard before they began to cling with other metal. My knives were there in an instant and I turned back to Loki. "What have you done?"

"Began a new era with me as its leader. Asgard will ally itself with its enemies and become true rulers of the universe. As soon as it's old ruler is dead," he said proudly, beginning to walk out of the dome.

"Oh no you don't," I muttered and threw one of my knives. It punctured his left leg and he fell to his knees. I sprinted over and flipped him onto his back, pinning him with one arm and holding a knife to his throat. "Tell me how to stop this or I will not hesitate to slice your throat," I spat at him.

"But you will. My dear Jodi, you do not have it in you to kill, not me, not any person," he said confidently. I paused. _Her humanity not allowing the kill_ popped in my head with that stupid voice. _You know what? Shut up_, I yelled in my head.

"Maybe you're right, but I have no problem with disabling you," I stated before stabbing the knife at his throat into his arm. He screamed in pain and threw me off of him. I rolled and landed on my feet. A particularly large elf began running at me, looking for another kill. I jumped up, sending two fireballs, one after the other at him. He disintegrated within a second.

I got one, but ten quickly replaced him. Any minute now Malekith would be walking in and we would be screwed. Everyone was fighting, managing to keep the battle within the small room. They weren't Asgard's best warriors for nothing, and more warriors from both sides were pouring in. There was every possibility of us winning if I could close the gate.

"Mind giving me a hand?" Sif appeared behind me. I grinned as I saw the elves attempting to surround us.

"Of course. Any day." We went back to back. She threw her sword behind her and I caught it, swinging it at the oncoming elves. She tapped my back twice and I threw myself back, dropping the sword into her hand and twisting mid-air to face the elves. I landed and destroyed the four that were in front of her. She laughed like an idiot and we high fived (I taught her how to after she kept leaving me hanging).

"Was that some magic I saw you using for the flip?" Sif said.

"Kind of a battle raging. Can't really be picky on how we fight," I replied. I looked back at the portal. "There's still more oncoming, and they won't stop until they overpower us or we shut off the portal," I shouted.

"I'll distract Loki. It appears his magic is keeping it locked in place. If Heimdall were here this wouldn't be an issue, but seeing as he isn't, you will have to. Go! Before we get caught up in the rage of battle," Sif said, running off to look for Loki. He had disappeared from where I had left him, but he was injured at the very least.

"Ollerus!" I shouted. I saw him at the entrance, keeping the guards at bay. He instantly looked up, finishing off the last elf and putting another warrior to keep the battle in there.

"What do you need?" he asked as he ran up.

"Cover me."

I ran to the key, Ollerus behind me. The key didn't move an inch.

"It's not moving, what can you do?" he asked, trying to keep one eye on me and the other on the battle.

I could feel the haze, far off, but if I used too much more I would go over the edge and be useless in the fight. There was no other option though. I had to risk it.

"Just watch my back, okay?" I said. Closing my eyes, I reached out and tried to feel the magic locking the key in place. There was nothing. The moon was slightly heated against my forehead; I was tapped too much into the fire. I breathed several times, refraining from laughing at the irony that it was Loki who taught me how to do this, and focused in on my subconscious.

There was a door, black and dismal. It radiated cold, giving me chills to the bone. I hesitantly grabbed the handle, willing my fire to keep my hand from freezing off. Inside, a dark twisted version of the meadow I had first met Odin lay before me. Everything was dead; the grass crunched under my feet, the trees twisted and bent over as if in pain, and flowers lay dying. The bench was cracked and falling apart, not safe for sitting. It was all devoid of color. This was Loki's magic.

One thing caught my eye. A single flower, a snapdragon, still lived on, reaching for a non-existent sun. I kneeled beside it, giving a small smile. There was still a spark of light in him. I got up and focused in on the sword, trying to find the one thing that was holding the sword in. A tree caught my eye. It looked like all of the other trees, grossly disfigured and almost crying out in pain, but it was pulling me. I walked over and investigated more closely. Right in the center of the trunk sat an unusual knot. It was shaped like a sword.

I shot at it with fire, only to have it come bouncing back at me and hitting me in the chest. _Well, that didn't work, _I thought dismally. The practical approach then. I conjured an ax and swung it at the tree, ready for it to go bouncing back. Instead it bit into the wood, splintering. I grinned and kept swinging it, biting further and further into the tree.

It took longer than I would have liked, but finally the tree fell. There was a burst of energy that knocked me down, shocking me back to reality. I gasped and twisted the key, and the dark elves stopped coming. Within minutes the battle was over. Malekith hadn't made it through. I sighed in relief.

"We won," I said. "We won." I couldn't believe it. I turned around, saying, "Ollerus we-" but Ollerus wasn't there. "Ollerus?" I looked around the Observatory, but I couldn't find him. "Does anyone know where Ollerus is?" All I got was blank stares. I ran around to Observatory, making sure he wasn't one of the dead. My necklace glowed brightly suddenly, and the pendant burned on my forehead. That combined with the fog, I was nearly brought me to my knees, causing all but the smallest little disc of my vision to become blurred.

I refused to let it stop me. The adrenaline kept me going. I ran outside and found out where Ollerus was. He was being suspended over the edge of the Bifrost, a knife at his throat being held by Loki, preventing him from speaking.

"It's about time, the magic holding Ollerus is beginning to slip. Now, unless you want me to drop him or slice his throat, step a few feet closer," Loki threatened. I did as I was told, a couple of feet from the edge. A barrier rose around us, preventing anyone from getting through. I could tell as Sif and Thor were screaming and banging on the wall but nothing was happening.

"Okay Loki, now pull Ollerus up and we'll talk. Sound good to you?" I asked.

"No, it does not sound good to me. You see Ollerus is my only leverage against you. Dear boy attacked me when I went to stop you from destroying the spell, but when I realized it was too late anyway, I took him instead. You wouldn't dare threaten his life, now would you?" There was a sort of desperation in his eyes; this was his final bet.

"What do you want Loki? What has happened in your life that is so bad that you have become this: a man threatening the life of another for power?" I kept stalling, trying to break through the fog and figure out a plan to save Ollerus.

"Come on, you know my history. I am the son of a Frost Giant, forever to be looked at with shame and ostracized from Asgardian society. Even your first thought of me was to distrust me."

"That can't just be it. No rational person goes this far because of some trust issues. No one!" I screamed.

His face turned into a snarl. "Can't you get it through that thick Midgardian skull of yours? I am the rightful ruler of Asgard, you have seen the proof, but I will never be the favored son. I will never be equal to Thor, and for it I will always be ridiculed. The only way I will ever earn the respect I deserve is through force. And that is exactly what I am doing."

"What makes me so important than in the grand scheme of things, huh? Explain that one to me!" I flinched as the knife was pressed more tightly to Ollerus' throat.

"You are everything. You have already stopped me once, but we can start this again. You are the most powerful god in thousands of years. You do not understand how rare a warrior and sorceress combination is, especially one with power such as you. Give Malekith the Warlock's Eye and we can rule Asgard together, as brother and sister," he said, some of his desperation turning to confidence again.

"What makes you think in a million years I would ever work with or for you?" I couldn't see even a sliver of the man I had known. The fog was slowly fading and my perception was increasing exponentially. Plans were forming, I just needed more time.

"Because, Jodi, you are like me." I stopped, my head taking me back to a younger, more easily terrified version of me. "You know it, inside your heart. I understand you, better than anyone. Ever since you got here, you have felt alone. Like you were separated from the rest. You have denied it, yes, but are any of these people truly your friend as I have been? Sif has prepared you for battle, that is all. Ollerus is here out of obligation, and even your own brother does not trust you. Just like me. That's why you ran back to Midgard: to find someone who wasn't there out of necessity. I can help you understand yourself, help you reach your true power better than anyone ever could, but you must help me. Open the gate again, allow Malekith in, and we will not be alone. Not any longer. Please." He said the last word as if he didn't mean to say it. Like I was his last hope.

Could I do it? Turn on all the people who I had just fought with? He was right about one thing: I had felt secluded from everyone since I got there. The whispers and the rumors isolated me more. It would be nice to be accepted, to have other people see me as their equal, or even superior….

No. Papa, Sif, Ollerus, Astrid, all of those people cared for me. I couldn't fall into the same pit of self-loathing that Loki had. For them.

"Never. I am not like you. You know what the difference between you and me is?" I stepped closer to him, an image forming in my mind of what to do. A humming started resounding through me, straight to the bone. This was it. The decision.

"Do not come any closer, or I will drop him," he threatened, letting Ollerus fall a foot.

"I know how to deal with my rage. I make it productive. I don't kill to get what I want. You would kill Ollerus either way. People believe and care for me. I would rather lose everything I had to make sure that those people lived than do something as selfish as work with you. I am the missing blood, taken without will, and you know what?" I said, right in front of his face now. For the first time since I had met him, he looked terrified. "I am ready."

I grabbed him by the neck and through him towards the barrier. It disintegrated and he went straight through. Ollerus began to fall, screaming. I jumped off the bridge after him, the fire that my pendant wanted me to use burning at my fingertips. I caught up to him and grabbed him.

"What in the name of Hel are you doing? We're both going to die!" he shouted into my ear.

"I am, not you," I said quietly before shoving all the fire at his back, shooting him back at the bridge.

He screamed, "No!" and was gone in a second. I watched him thud onto the bridge through its transparent parts. Burned, but alive. Everyone was screaming over the edge, but they were becoming smaller and fainter by the second. A tear fell from my eyes, not of sadness, but of acceptance. This was the only option. It always had been. _Eternal war or the loss of all. You lost everything_, the voice whispered. It was comforting now. I wasn't alone. I closed my eyes and prayed that death wouldn't hurt.

**Before you kill me, it's not over. So please keep the knife throwing to a minimum.**


	20. Chapter 19

For a moment there was darkness, and the next I was being swept up in a hug. Stunned, I just stood there, trying to piece together what happened.

"Um…hello?" I asked.

"Am I not allowed to be happy that my friend is in front of me?" I instantly recognized the voice.

"Astrid! It's still disorientating that you're taller than me…" I muttered before returning the hug. After a moment we detached and looked each other over. "Nice dress. Very grown-up," I commented. It was a full -length golden dress that didn't have obvious sparkles, but glittered with every tiny movement. Her hair was down and she appeared to almost glow. Sort of like an angel.

"Thank you. You are looking well yourself," she replied.

"How the hell do I look well? I just spent the last hours of my life battling and falling off of a bridge. There is no way I look okay," I ranted, gesturing down at my outfit. I looked down and found I was also in a dress, drastically different from Astrid's. It was a sleeveless black ball gown dress, with diagonal cuts that went one way on the top and the other on the bottom. If I turned slightly, I could see a light orange color in the top cuts and a dark purple in the bottom ones. How I hadn't noticed the change was beyond me.

"Well, never mind then. So this is what you meant by your 'see ya soon.' I'd be more pissed that you didn't tell me if it hadn't been for the fact you warned me about Loki, so we're still good," I said with a smile. "I assume I'm in Valhalla? Where is everyone else?" I asked, looking around for any other sign of life. We were in a giant field that screamed "life" but there was nothing but endless green grass.

"This is the in-between area, where the Valkyries take their charges to Valhalla." I nodded.

"So you're taking me? Thank Odin, the ride would have been awkward with someone else," I said. Astrid shook her head.

"No. I'm not taking you to Valhalla."

"Then where are you taking me?" I asked, confused. "I died in battle, I deserve to go." Saying I had died was odd on the tongue. I didn't feel dead; of course one never knows what death feels like until they are dead.

"You're not going to Valhalla because you are returning home to Asgard," she said before I could continue. I couldn't help but stare.

"Astrid, I'm dead. I can't go back. That's what dead means, no going back," I insisted. She looked down and dug her toes into the ground; a bit of the little girl that I had met coming out.

"A particular Valkyrie might have possibly used her access to a chariot to stop a certain person from falling into a vortex that would have permanently lost this certain person to the universe, and then taken this person to somewhere safe until she awoke," she said, her cheeks turning a slight red in embarrassment.

"No no no no, Astrid you didn't! What about the prophecy?" I yelled. If I didn't die than the prophecy hadn't been fulfilled when it should have. God knew what the repercussions could be. Loki could be in control of Asgard, Ollerus dead, what about Sif….

Astrid saw the panic on my face and grabbed my shoulders. "Relax Jodi. Calm. I have been watching the Nine Realms carefully since I retrieved you. Nothing has been off balance. Everything is as it should be."

"Except I'm alive. Not that I'm not grateful, but I was supposed to die. How is everything still okay?" She folded her arms and angled slightly away from me. "You are easier to read than a book. Tell me, how?" I pressed.

She was silent for a moment. "I simply knew everything would work out in our favor. I do not know how, but I did. It feels as if you willingly making the sacrifice was all that was needed to fulfill the prophecy." Whatever being was above Odin, they had been watching me carefully, probably throwing the challenges at me. There was always a higher being. Perhaps this was their way of rewarding me for choosing right.

"Okay, I trust your judgment. So, are you taking me back then?" She nodded. "Alright then. Where's this magical chariot of yours?"

"I'm afraid that my chariot privileges were revoked after my previous stunt. This will be a bit of a rougher landing for you," she said, grabbing my forearms.

"Hey, am I ever going to get my IPod back?" I demanded jokingly.

She chuckled. "Next time you are here, I'll return it. I still particularly enjoy Avril, and have found a new appreciation for P!nk, though I do not understand why she calls herself a color." I laughed.

"I'm gonna miss you," I said sadly.

"You will have Ollerus and Sif to keep you company. Before you know it we will all be reunited." Before I could say anything else I felt myself falling again. For a brief and terrible moment I thought it had been a massive hallucination and I was still falling from the Bifrost and would continue to do so forever. My feet hit ground and the terror left me. I was back on the Bifrost, just in front of the Observatory. Right where I had fallen.

Heimdall was back at his usual post, a horrible scar lining his face and favoring his left leg slightly. He nodded as if he was expecting me, but I could see some shock in his eyes. "If I remember correctly, I believe you said you would never jump," he said frankly.

"Not for me. For someone else. What happened to you?" I asked.

"With Loki as king, he sent me straight into a trap, disguised as a simple task. I was not found until long after the battle," he explained. "How did you escape your fall?"

"Oh you know, just a Valkyrie with a chariot. Nothing special," I said. He chuckled and I almost fell over backwards. That was weird, and I knew weird by this point. "How long have I been gone?"

"Two days Princess." It was better than I had expected. "And if I might make a suggestion," he hinted. I gave him the go ahead. "I would make your way to the garden. It is a rare opportunity that someone gets to attend their own funeral." I stared for a moment before bursting into laughter. My own funeral. Awesome.

"Well, that explains the dress," I muttered. I looked back at Heimdall. "Thank you Heimdall. For everything."

"It is my duty to serve, Princess. Good night." I said goodbye and walked through the castle. It was silent. I didn't see anyone, god or servant. It was probably required to attend the funerals of royalty.

I emerged at the back of the castle, the flowers still taking my breath away. I wondered who had decided to have my funeral there; I had to thank them. A mass of people clad in black stood about 30 yards in front of me. I made my way to the back of the crowd, starting to shove my way to the front. Several gave my dirty looks, but none seemed to recognize the black hair and green eyes that was Princess Niorun.

I made it to just behind the front row of people. There was a pile of wood taller than me stacked in front, Ollerus and Sif on one side, Thor, Odin, and Frigga on the other. Ollerus had a bow in his hand, most likely shooting an arrow in my memory. Odin was speaking.

"Princess Niorun will be forever remembered here in Asgard. Her sacrifice allowed me to bring peace back to the Nine Realms and saved the life of a fellow Asgardian. Today, we honor that sacrifice." He picked up a torch. "It is unfortunate we can not burn her body in the tradition of the Aesir, but the flame will be lit as proper farewell."

"Actually," I said, shoving my way into visibility, "You do have a body. Only it's not dead. I hope that's not an inconvenience."

I have been in some pretty awkward silences in my life, but none of those compared to the deathly silence that I had just brought. Everyone stared at me, some with jaws hanging open, most with absolute disbelief. I heard the muted thud of wood hitting grass and was lifted off my feet by the bear hug that Ollerus was giving me.

"Okay, let me go before I'm actually dead," I choked out. He set me down and proceeded to stare at me.

"You're really here. You're really alive," he mumbled.

"Yes, I am. Or you wouldn't have been able to nearly suffocate me just then," I joked.

"But…how?" he asked, still in disbelief.

"Let's just say I got help from a friend of ours. I'll explain more later," I said, patting him on the chest. Sif plowed into me next, yelling at me never to do that again. One by one I hugged everyone I had met, even Thor had some tears in his eyes. I didn't bother to ask where Loki was; he was probably in prison somewhere, hopefully rotting. He was a chapter in my life I fully intended on putting behind me.

After it had sunk in I was alive and well, Odin raised the torch. "This flame is no longer to honor a memory, but to honor hope. For even when all seems to be lost, miracles happen." He lit the pile, it blazing brightly straight into the sky before returning to a more normal size.

Ollerus returned, having been pushed out by the group of people greeting me. He moved so he was no more than an inch from me. I looked up into his eyes, trying not to get lost in them.

"You sacrificed yourself for me," he said.

"I had to save you. You know, if you had died then everything would have gone wrong," I rambled.

"Do not hide behind excuses. For once, will you speak from your heart?" he pleaded.

"Fine, you want me to speak from my heart, I will," I said, steeling my resolve. I put my arms around his neck and closed the distance between our lips, not holding back. He seemed surprised, but quickly put his arms around my waist and pulled me as close as possible. When we finally parted, we were both grinning like mad men.

"I must say, that was quite enjoyable," he said. Whether it was Destiny throwing us together from the beginning, or if I had actually fallen in love with him, he was meant for me, for better or for worse. I rolled my eyes and planted another kiss on him, thanking the omnipotent being who had tortured me for leading me to where I belonged.

**GUYS! WE MADE IT! Only an epilogue and the story is over. Thank you all so much for suffering through with me until the very end. It's been wonderful and you all helped me finish my first story! Thank you thank you and thank you. **


	21. Epilogue

**Two Years Later**

Sif sent a flying kick to my head. I grabbed her leg and flipped her onto her back, bending the leg painfully back. She attempted the twist out of it, but I put an arm on her back and restrained her there. She tapped the floor twice and I let go, helping her up.

"Only one minute this time without magic. I must say, I'm vastly impressed," she praised.

"Yeah, but it took two years to reach this point. I'm shocked that my muscles could move quick enough to catch that last kick though," I responded, stretching out my arms.

"I'm sure Ollerus will be pleased with that," she said slyly.

I raised an eyebrow. "I've taught you way too well how to be a pervert Sif. Besides, you know we haven't done that yet." She threw her head back and laughed.

"It is quite amusing, though only Fandral has found it so."

"Yeah well I don't. Not today at least," I said, wrapping my arms around my stomach, trying to keep the butterflies at bay. Sif patted me on the back.

"Don't be nervous Jodi. I went through the exact same thing a year ago. You will be fine, 'tis just another ceremony."

"Yeah, but Sif, this ceremony kind of means a lot on Earth. I know that Ollerus' and I have been predicted since God knows how long ago, but I couldn't just up and marry him the minute I was back like everyone wanted me too." Sif looked away, slightly embarrassed. She'd been one of those people, alongside Odin and Thor. It was only after massive kicking and screaming on my part (and Ollerus siding with me) that I had managed to push the date until I was ready. Or I should say, until both of us were ready. Ollerus hadn't been huge on the idea of marriage either.

"It will be fine Jodi. Ollerus even honored your earthly tradition and asked your grandfather for your hand and he gave his blessing."

My eyes widened. "Oh my God please tell me Odin remembered to bring him here for today? I can't have my wedding without him!" I said, starting to panic. Sif grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look her in the eye.

"Jodi, everything is fine. This is exactly why I forced you to have one last lesson with me: to keep you from panicking."

"Sif, I didn't expect to get married until I was at least 25. Hell, I didn't expect to be living on another planet, much less practically running it. I swear, Odin might as well announce me as Crown Princess. I'll be running the show anyway when Thor is on the throne."

She chuckled slightly. "Thor will grow to be a proper king someday. Have faith. Until then, we have our wise advisor Niorun." I gave a small smile and sat down, curling up.

"I don't think I can do this Sif. I'm going to puke and make a fool out of myself and I just can't do that, not to Ollerus."

"Do you love him?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course," I responded without hesitation.

"And I can guarantee Ollerus loves you, so by not doing this you're only hurting both of you. Jodi, you have traveled in between worlds, defeated the most powerful sorcerer in Asgard, and thrown yourself off of the Bifrost to save someone whom you were just getting to know, and survived. All within the first month you arrived. You can do this. Now come on! You're going to be late to your own wedding!" She dragged me up and smoothed out my dress. It tied behind my neck, fell to just below my knees, the highest part being at mid-thigh, cutting sideways. A bright streak of black crossed diagonally, matching the circlet.

She pushed me to just outside the throne room, where Papa was waiting for me. He grinned wildly and hooked his arm into mine. "You look gorgeous. Head up, confident." I could tell he wanted to talk about Asgard, but he knew it was my day, so he kept quiet as soft music began to play and we walked down.

I kept my eyes on Ollerus, not wanting to be distracted by the thousands of other people. A pocket I had request for my something blue (my necklace, because Frigga had not allowed me to wear it) suddenly got heavier. I discreetly looked and saw a purple rectangle with something that looked like headphones attached to it. I turned around and saw a familiar blonde-haired girl. She winked before disappearing back into the crowd. I grinned and felt better knowing that my friend was there.

We reached the end and I noticed someone clad in green standing next to Thor. I leaned over and whispered in Ollerus' ear, "Um, Ollerus, what the hell is Loki doing here?"

"And here I thought you were going to say I looked handsome," he retorted snarkily. I gave him a look and he sighed. "Odin has been slowly reintegrating Loki back into Asgard society. This is supposed to be a major step forward for him. Do not let it ruin today, please?"

I glanced over to where he was standing. He smiled and waved discreetly. There were manacles around his wrist. I nodded at Ollerus. "Alright, I don't like it, but okay. I love you, and that's all that matters today," I said.

"I love you too. Now, shall we get 'hitched' as your grandfather called it?" I giggled.

"Yep." I restrained the urge to kiss him right then and there. Everything was perfect, just for today. And I was at home.

**So that's it! I don't know yet if I will be doing a sequel, but I left things just a touch open so I can if I develop a decent plot line. I hope you had fun reading this (and secretly hope it made you cry at least once). Thanks again for reading!**


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